Marco and Kelly vs The Universe
by Kirdei Antares
Summary: After watching the Soulrise with Kelly, Marco realizes he could use some friends outside of Star. Cover image by AmusedLad.
1. Soulrise, Soulset

Marco and Kelly Vs. The Universe

*SPOILER ALERT*

This takes place just after the episode "Lava Lake Beach" and will contain through "Night Life". If there's interest, I may continue this into a series so let me know in the Review section or PM me! Also check out my other SVTFOE story "Washed Out" though you should be prepared for some feels if you do!

I took a bit of inspiration from a picture Moringmark drew. I highly suggest checking him and Spatziline out. They're on Tumblr and have a under Sparktwins.

Summary: After watching the Soulrise with Kelly, Marco realizes he could use some friends outside of Star.

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Soulrise, Soulset**

 _Lava Lake Beach_

"Happy Birthday, Marco Diaz." Kelly said quietly as she and Marco watched the Soulrise in awe from the top of the watchtower.

The glowing ball of light that rose up from the lava lake continued to illuminate the beach as Kelly and Marco huddled close together, enjoying each others silent companionship. Eventually, the light faded away and the pink crystal eye that had been emitting the light slowly sank beneath the surface of the lake, quietly collecting souls for the next year's Soulrise.

Kelly sighed contentedly and handed Marco his jacket back.

"Thanks, Marco. This was nice." she said with a small smile, still looking out over the lake. She wanted to sear this moment of her and Marco together into her memory. For her, the Soulrise would now remind her of friendship, not her turbulent relationship with Tad.

"Well...you're...you know, you're welcome." Marco stuttered out as he slid back into his jacket. Today was a confusing day on many levels for Marco, his heart fluttering a bit at Kelly's words and the memory of them sharing his hoodie. Kelly pushed away from the railing and began to descend the ladder back to the beach, leaving Marco lost in thought.

From the ground, she called back up to him, "Marco, you coming?" She said, waving to get his attention.

Marco jumped at her voice and fell backwards, slamming against the interior of the watchtower multiple times before face-planting in the sand. Marco rolled over and began coughing up sand with a groan. Kelly ran over to check on him, a giggle threatening to spring from her lips, but barely stifled by her concern.

"Marco! Are you o-okay?" She said, fighting to not smile.

"Oh yeah, great! Underworld sand tastes...just..." Marco coughed out a bit more sand, "...like I thought it would."

Kelly burst out laughing at his joke and offered him a hand up. Marco gratefully accepted her help and began brushing the sand off his hoodie and shorts. He ached a bit, but otherwise seemed to be unhurt.

"Marco, I..." Kelly started.

"Kelly..." Marco said at the same time.

The two fell silent for a beat, before breaking out in laughter.

"You dork, " Kelly said, wiping a tear from her eye, "You really need to watch where you're going!"

"Ah, yeah...I was just thinking about how fun this has been." Marco replied, "Thanks for showing me this place."

"It's cool...we both needed some time away from the lovebirds I think." Kelly replied, a little sadness creeping into her voice. Even the Soulrise couldn't completely ward off the ache of her recent heartbreak. Marco's chest clenched a bit at her words, understanding her pain. Unwilling to let the mood darken any further, Marco reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Kelly, since you showed me something so cool, can I show you a cool thing also, as well?" Marco said, suddenly flushing with embarrassment. Just because he thought it was cool, doesn't mean it was. After all he thought his cape...meat blanket...was cool and all it did was annoy his friends.

"Marco, I didn't think you were so forward." Kelly replied, looking away while placing a hand over her mouth. Marco looked at her blankly for a moment before his face started exploded into a furious blush.

"Oh no! Nonononononono. That is not what I meant. At. All!" Marco cried out, jumping back away from Kelly while waving his hands in a negative motion. This caused Kelly to burst out in laughter again.

"Sorry, I couldn't help myself." She laughed. "When you deliver a line like that, it's a crime to not take advantage!"

Marco shot Kelly a weak glare as he fanned his face. Marco reached into the pocket of his hoodie and pulled out his dimensional scissors and presented them to Kelly.

"I meant these. I've only shown one other person so far." he said a bit annoyed. Kelly glanced down at the scissors, and then shot Marco a look to let him know she thought he might be an idiot.

"Marco, I've seen your scissors before. You're the one who picked us up and took us here." She said with a mix of annoyance and curiosity. She was actually rather fond of Marco's scissors. She thought they looked a bit like a sword, her favorite weapon type. She'd been thinking of challenging Hekapoo for her own pair and hoped that they ended up looking similar. Marco shot her a sly grin.

"Yeah, but you haven't seen what they can do! I haven't even shown Star, yet!" Marco said, taking the scissors by the handle in his right hand and holding them out toward her, appearing like a fencer saluting his opponent.

"Marco, they're dimensional scissors. They make portals...and cut paper, I guess." Kelly replied. She didn't miss his last words though, which made her heart flutter a bit.

'He's willing to show me something Star hasn't seen yet?' She thought, stepping back from him.

"These are special. Hekapoo contacted me recently to help her with some stuff. As a reward, she gave them a bit of an upgrade. And...I think you've earned a chance to see them." Marco closed his eyes and held his hand up in front of his face, with two fingers extended upward. Kelly didn't say anything, not wanting to break Marco's concentration.

In a sudden burst of motion, Marco opened his eyes, brought the scissors up next to his left ear and made a sweeping slash down and to the right. As he did so, the blades of the scissors caught fire and grew in length until they were the size of a sword. As the flames licked the blade, Marco's name was clearly visible in runes along the side of the blade. Even from a few feet away, she could feel a comforting warmth coming from the fiery sword.

"Marco! That's amazing!" Kelly cried out as she started to move towards him. She'd heard of dimensional scissors being made in different forms, including chainsaws, but she'd never heard of one transforming. Marco held up a hand to her, stopping her from getting close, the flames of his sword dying out as he did so.

"I'm not done yet!" He yelled as he gripped the hilt in both of his hands. Marco twisted the hilt and pulled away two swords, one in each hand, from the original. Flames briefly roared to life along each blade before dying back out. Marco settled into a ready stance, blades out in front of him and ready to strike, before shooting Kelly a confident smirk. Kelly was awestruck. That Hekapoo would gift a mere human with such a weapon was unbelievable. It spoke to Marco's prowess as a warrior.

"Can you fight with them?" She asked as she approached him. Marco stood up straight and lowered the swords before replying.

"A bit. I...have a lot of spare time when Star's busy with her Princess Training. I was originally squired to Sir Lavabo of the Knights of the Wash, before Star made me her squire. She did it so we could hang out, but I really do want to be a knight one day." Marco said as he looked over the blades.

"Wait, the laundry guy?" She asked, half in disbelief. What could Mewni's dry cleaner know about being a knight?

"Yeah. Turns out, he's really respected, even among other knights. Magic is so strong in the Butterfly Family that their laundry will often come alive and turn into monsters. Sir Lavabo is really strong. In exchange for helping out a few hours a day in the Laundry Room, I get to be his part-time unofficial squire. I get training in swordplay and other aspects of being a knight. He's pretty cool, once you get to know him." Marco said, placing the blades together and forming them back into a single sword.

"Whoa..." She said quietly. "Hey, Marco? I've got a question for you."

"Kelly, I'm sorry I'm just not ready..." Marco interrupted, a blush appearing on his face.

Kelly gave Marco a puzzled look before she realized what Marco was thinking and began blushing herself.

"Marcooo. That's not what I meant!" She said, punching him on the shoulder. Marco suddenly grinned bashfully.

"Ah, I'm sorry, Kelly. I just...thought... Things have been kinda...weird for me lately." Marco said with a grimace. 'Way to misread signals, Diaz...' Marco though before continuing on.

"I started going out with Jackie, then Star confesses she has a crush on me if front of _everybody_. Jackie breaks up with me, and then Janna slips a picture of her wearing one of my hoodies into my pocket before I leave for Mewni. Just my hoodie...I got a couple dozen proposals at St. Olga's... And then there's Hekapoo who keeps sending me flowers..." Marco said, ticking each odd occurrence with his fingers, touching each one with the tip of his scissor-sword. "Sorry...again." Kelly stifled a laugh before replying.

"It's not like you aren't cute...but I just need a friend right now." She said quietly, turning way.

"Honestly? Me too." Marco said, scratching the back of his head.

"So...Jorby and I spar on Thursday evenings. Would you like to join us? Get some practice in?" Kelly asked shyly, turning back to look at him. If she was being truly honest, part of her invitation was because she was interested in seeing Marco's Dimensional Sword in action. The other part was that she had felt their friendship deepen thanks to the events of the Soulrise. Shared hardship has a way of tempering friendship. A friend in need is a friend indeed, as they say.

"Yeah. I'd like that." He replied with a smile. His sword had turned back into their scissor form and he slid them back into his hoodie pocket. The two shared a smile.

"Hey bestie!" Someone called out, startling the pair. Marco and Kelly turned to see Tad standing awkwardly a few feet away. "Sooo... I guess I came here with you? Could I catch a ride home?" A look of annoyance came over Marco and Kelly's faces. A perfectly good moment, ruined.

"Yeah, ok." Marco said curtly, pulling out his scissors and opening a portal for the strange...bush...guy.

"So...any chance..." Tad began as he slowly shuffled towards the portal, giving Kelly a hopeful look.

"Go, Tad!" the pair yelled.

"Alright, geez. Everyone's such a buzz kill tonight." Tad muttered before entering the portal, which promptly closed behind him. The pair sighed and grinned wearily at each other.

* * *

"What should we do now?" Kelly asked as the pair walked along the beach, careful to stay far enough back so the lava didn't burn them.

"Well, last time I saw Tom and Star they uh...they were...doing it Polynesian style...I think." Marco said awkwardly.

"What?" Kelly said with a delicate snort, covering her mouth with her hand.

"You know...they were uh...kissing...on...on the lips." Marco said, looking at the ground. Tad had opened his eyes a bit and he could admit, if only to himself, that he was a bit jealous. Kelly picked up on Marco's darkening thoughts and made to steer away from the subject.

"Maybe we can just walk along the beach for a while then. Why don't you tell me how you got Hekapoo to give you that sweet sword!" Kelly said excitedly. Marco grinned at her.

"Sure! So there's been these random portals opening up all over the different dimensions..." Marco began. He started to explain how random portals had been opening in different dimensions and how he and Hekapoo had been working together to closing them before they caused too much havoc.

Kelly was the perfect audience, gasping at appropriate moments such as when Nachos took a hit from a huge rock monster so Marco wouldn't get hurt, and laughing when Hekapoo accidentally got blasted in the face with hallucinogenic spores from some mushroom people they were trying to help and ended up freaking out.

She eventually responded in kind, telling some some of her own stories. At one point she pulled out her greatsword to show off to Marco, but it tipped over on to him, pinning him to the sand. They both started to panic as the tide had started to come in and Marco nearly got hit with a lava wave. Fortunately, Kelly was able to lift it off of him in time and he managed to scramble away just before a wave rolled over where he had been pinned.

* * *

Eventually, Marco and Kelly managed to wander back over to where they had been playing volleyball and found Tom and Star cuddling under the parasol. Star immediately jumped up and ran over to Marco.

"MARCO!" She yelled, "Where did you go? You missed the Soulrise!" She said, upset that her best friend had missed one of the most awesome events of the year.

"I went to check on Kelly after she left...then she...well we got to see the Soulrise from a different part of the beach." Marco said looking at Kelly with a smile.

He had been about to tell Star about the watchtower, but decided against it...for now. Kelly smiled back. Star's face went blank and her pupils constricted as she looked back and forth between Kelly and Marco. Her gaze then settled on Kelly just long enough to make Kelly uncomfortable, before she snapped out of it.

"Ooooh. So that's what happened. I sorta didn't notice you guys were gone until the volleyball game ended...and then the Soulrise started...and Tom..." She said, her face turning red as she felt Tom walk up and take hold of her hand. "I'm sorry Kelly, Marco. I'm glad you guys got to see it though!"

"I'm sorry too, guys. I saw you guys walk off, but I kinda got wrapped up in the game. Marco knows I can be a little competitive..." Tom said, with a mischievous grin. Marco grinned back.

"Yeah, but you cheat!" Marco and Tom then launched into the story of when Tom had kidnapped Marco because he had thought Marco and Star were dating. Tom ended up crushing Marco in ping pong thanks to his demon magic, but it led him to realize only Star could decide what she wanted. Everyone laughed throughout the tale, though Marco's and Star's laughs were a bit strained at the start.

Marco then opened up a pair of portals to Kelly's home dimension and Castle Lucitor. Star and Marco bid farewell to the pair. Tom gave Star a kiss and waved goodbye to Marco before closing the portal behind him.

"I'll see you tonight, Marco!" Kelly said, giving Marco a quick hug before heading into her own portal. Marco thought about it for a second and realized his birthday did fall on Thursday this year.

After she was gone, Star shot Marco a sly look. "Sooo, you moving in on Tad's lady? Huh, Diaz?" She said nudging him.

"Staaaarrr. It's not like that. She and Tad broke up for real this time. and she...just needs a friend. You and I don't get to go on as many adventures anymore, so she invited me to spar with her and Jorby once a week so I don't get rusty! I guess their next session is tonight..." He said thoughtfully. His plate was starting to get a little full. Squiring for Star, training with Sir Lavabo, helping Hekapoo, and now sparring with Kelly and Jorby? Well, he was nothing if not organized. He was sure he could handle it.

"Waaaait. Like...Jorby, Jorby?" She asked, "Big, striped, dog guy? Big horns?" she asked, waving her hands above her head.

"Yeah, he was here earlier. He attacked me because he thought I had replaced him as Kelly's sparring partner." Marco said, rubbing his arm. He could feel the bruise forming from when Jorby had shoulder-checked him.

"Maaaaaybe I should come with you..." She said, suddenly concerned. She wasn't sure Marco could handle a fight with such a foe without her help. Marco pulled out his dimensional scissors and cut open a portal back to Castle Butterfly.

"Star, I'm 15 years old. I can take care of myself and Kelly will be there if it gets too out of hand. Besides, don't you have spell casting practice with your mom on Thursdays? You're usually wiped out by the time you're done." Marco said, confidently as he strode through the portal. Marco missed the look of hurt on Star's face. Had Marco forgotten Friendship Thursdays? They had restarted the tradition a couple weeks after Marco had returned to Mewni. Tom usually joined them now, but Marco had never skipped out, even when he was dead tired nor when he started dating Jackie...

"Wait...when did Marco turn 15?" Star gasped, as she suddenly remembered his words.

"MARCO!" She yelled as she dove into the portal after her friend.

* * *

That's chapter 1 for you! I hope you enjoyed it! If it seems like there is interest in this story, I'll continue on!

Despite primarily shipping Starco, I feel there could be a lot of potential for Kellyco. Kelly seems to be the adventurous type and, as far as we can tell at this point, isn't a princess. I feel this makes her a good person to go on adventures with Marco.


	2. Happy Birthday, Marco Diaz (Part 1)

Marco and Kelly vs. The Universe

I have no words to express how thankful I am for everyone who had read, reviewed, PMed, and followed/favorited the first chapter of this story! The first chapter was more popular than I could ever have imagined. This story was originally written so that if it wasn't popular, it would be fine as a one-shot, but the overwhelmingly positive response I've received makes me want to write more!

Thank you all so much!

*SPOILER ALERT*

This story takes place after the episode "Lava Lake Beach" and may contain spoilers up through the end of Season 3A. Don't forget to check out my other SVTFOE story "Washed Out" though you should be prepared for some feels if you do!

Shout out to Amused Lad over on Reddit who drew the cover image for this story after reading the first chapter! It's a lovely image of Marco, Kelly, and Jorby in a battle stance!

I've done a basic edit of this chapter, and I'll read over it for errors over the next few days, but if you see any glaring spelling/grammatical errors, shoot me a PM!

* * *

Chapter 2: Happy Birthday, Marco Diaz (Part 1)

 _The Dining Hall, Castle Butterfly_

After Marco had exited the portal into the dining room of Castle Butterfly, Star immediately came after him and tackled him to the ground.

"Why didn't you tell me today was your birthday!" Star demanded.

"Just habit I guess." He responded looking away shyly, a blush on his face. "I've never really made a big deal of my birthday. Usually, it's just cake with my parents, Alfonzo, Ferguson, and whatever foreign exchange student was staying with us. I've never told the other exchange students because I didn't want them to feel obligated to get me a present or whatever."

Star prepared to rip into Marco for keeping such important information from her when the pair heard someone clearing their voice to get their attention. Star and Marco whipped their heads around to the source of the sound and saw King River watching them, a haunch of meat in his fist..

"Star..." River began, "I do hope you are not using your new found authority to push your Squire into a compromising position..." he said, glancing between them meaningfully. Star only then realized she had Marco's arms pinned and her face was only inches from his. Her skirt had been riding up a bit as well. Compromising indeed...

"I imagine a certain young Prince might be upset if his girlfriend had been fooling around behind his back. Wouldn't look good for the kingdom." He said, disapprovingly.

Star leaped off of Marco in a surprising feat of acrobatics, as though she had been burned.

"That isn't it at all! It's Marco's birthday and he didn't tell me!" She said, sounding like a child tattling on someone.

"Is that so? Well Marco, why don't I walk you back to your room. We apparently have things to discuss." River walked over to Marco, who was still on the floor, and picked him up by the arm.

"That's not necessary!" Marco said, panicking. River had a hard look in his eye and his hand around Marco's arm was like a steel band.

"Nonsense, my boy! Just a friendly chat between a King and a squire of his kingdom!" He said with a laugh, before dragging Marco off down a hallway.

Star watched them go, without a word. She was going to have a very busy night. Despite the occasional awkwardness of the last few weeks, Marco was still her best friend and best friends don't let best besties have bad birthdays. Star pulled her compact mirror out and flipped it open.

"Call, Kelly."

* * *

On the long way back to Marco's room, River had lectured Marco on the propriety one should show to the princess of Mewni as her squire.

"Look Marco, I wouldn't have a problem with you dating my daughter, but she's with Prince Tom. If you were to make a move on my Daughter now, it could cause strife between our Kingdoms. Things were already tense at the last Silver Bell Ball and we don't need another crisis so soon after the Toffee Incident."

"That's not how it is, River! Star and I are just friends. Best friends, but just friends." Marco denied. He could be honest with himself, but not his employer. Not about this.

"Good enough for me, I suppose. Nonetheless, don't let yourself be caught in such a compromising position again. You're a Squire of Mewni now. Oath-bound to defend her. As long as she's with Prince Tom, she's off limits." River said with a look that told Marco he didn't totally believe them. Marco sighed with exasperation drawing a laugh from River. River placed a hand on Marco's shoulder to stop him from entering his room.

"Marco, the real reason I wanted to talk with you was to apologize. When you arrived, Moon and I didn't treat you with the warmth and respect a friend of the Kingdom deserves. We truly didn't know if we'd see you again. My offer of Knighthood was sincere, if ill-advised. I should have explained it a bit more to you, if I offered at all."

"I...I know. You guys offered me the position out of pity. The other squires made that clear." Marco said quietly.

"What? That's not it at all. Star may not take it too seriously, but you're basically her Royal Protector-in-training! You think we'd let someone who wasn't worthy move into the Castle and be the Princess's own squire? You were rigorously vetted before we even let her move in with you on Earth. More so when you moved here. You received a glowing recommendation from one of the High Commission Members, Lady Hekapoo. If we didn't think you up to the challenge we wouldn't have let you stay!" River said patting Marco's shoulder vigorously. Marco grinned at River's words. It was good to know there were people in his corner here on Mewni.

"We were concerned initially," River continued. "We didn't know if you were just here to play around with Star or if you were serious. Boy, were we wrong! You've managed to survive being a squire for Sir Lavabo longer than any other! I imagine during the next Squire's Tournament you'll show those naysayers what's what!"

River let out a rolling laugh as he continued slapping Marco's back, nearly knocking him to the floor.

"Any who. Moonpie will probably start wondering where I got off to if I'm gone much longer. Just needed a bit of a midnight snack, you know. And here this is for you." River said, shoving a plate Marco had somehow missed into Marco's hands. River waved behind him as he walked away, leaving a confused Marco behind.

"I need to get some sleep. This has been a long day. Huh?" Marco grunted. Looking down at the plate, Marco realized it was the haunch of meat the King had been carrying when he found Star and Marco in the dining hall. The word 'Sorry' was carved into it. "Sorry?" Marco shrugged. He'd come to learn that River was a man full of amusing, strange, and occasionally annoying quirks.

Marco carried it into his room and set it down on his nightstand before promptly collapsing into bed, falling asleep. He was still a squire and training with Sir Lavabo began at 6 AM, sharp. Punctuality was one of the virtues of Knighthood and Marco didn't want to suffer the punishment for being late.

* * *

 _The Laundry Room, Castle Butterfly_

Marco arrived for training that morning at 6 AM. He'd only managed to get a few hours of sleep, his hoodie was rumpled, and his hair was a mess, but he was on time, if only partially conscious.

"Good morning, Squire Marco! Rough night?" Sir Lavabo said knowingly. Marco groaned something unintelligible in response. Marco had told Sir Lavabo that Star was going to drag him to see the Soulrise that night. Sir Lavabo offered to let Marco take the day off, since he'd be up so late, but Marco had refused. Sir Lavabo was proud the young Squire took his duty seriously, but that also meant he wasn't going to go easy on him.

"Why don't you go into the break room and have some soda and straighten up a bit? After, I shall tell you of today's quest!" Sir Lavabo said before pushing Marco towards the break room.

Marco's training with Sir Lavabo usually consisted of two parts. First, Marco would help Sir Lavabo with the day's chores, or "Quests" as Sir Lavabo liked to call them. Sometimes they'd be washing clothes, other times they'd be looking for a particular outfit requested by one of the Royals. Most chores ended in combat, one way or another. Once chores were complete, they'd move on to training. Sword fighting, physical drills, Mewnian politics, and any other subject Sir Lavabo considered important for a Knight-in-training.

Marco blearily found his way into the small kitchen that served as the break room of the Knights of the Wash. Having one's own kitchen in the Castle was an unimaginable luxury, but as Sir Lavabo had the most difficult job in the castle short of the Queen herself, it was granted to him. It wasn't large by any means, but it had a table with chairs, a small oven, a pantry, and an icebox that was kept cold through some kind of magic.

Marco slumped on the small counter in the kitchen and found a bottle of soda already waiting for him. His face still pressed against the counter, Marco opened the bottle and carefully tried to pour some into his mouth without spilling or lifting up his head.

As soon as he managed the first sip, Marco shot upright, suddenly energized. Marco wasn't sure what the brand was, labeling laws were different outside of the Earth Dimension, but it had a heck of a kick. The makers used water from a special fountain on a planet with five suns. Whatever was in the water allowed the inhabitants to stay awake during the 1008 hour long day. For Marco, it was like having a full nights sleep with one sip. Oh, he'd crash hard in a few hours, but he would have time for a nap before going to spar with Kelly and Jorby.

Now that he was fully awake, Marco took time to straighten his hoodie, splash some water from a nearby pitcher on his face and run a little through his hair to make himself look somewhat decent. He hadn't had time to take a bath after the previous night, which was somewhat embarrassing for the chronically sweaty teen, but hopefully it wasn't too noticeable. Just another thing to do before he went sparring that night.

Marco returned to Sir Lavabo after a few minutes to find the knight sharpening his sword. Marco paled a bit at that. Sir Lavabo always ensured to sharpen his sword prior to any activity where the Laundry was likely to attack. Marco presented himself to Sir Lavabo and stood at attention.

"Are you ready to hear of today's quest, Squire?" Sir Lavabo asked, dragging the anticipation out. It brought him no small amount of amusement to tease the boy. The day's task would be dangerous, but not overly so.

"Y-yes, Sir, Sir Lavabo, Sir!" Marco said, saluting like a Soldier on Earth would. Marco was feeling a bit high strung from his earlier drink.

"Today our glorious quest shall be...Folding the Laundry!" Sir Lavabo declared with all the seriousness one would expect from a knight stating he was going to fight a dragon.

One might be tempted, in their ignorance, to think that any task in the Laundry Room would be better fit for a maidservant. One might scoff at the idea of a knight and his moonlighting squire doing something so domestic as folding the laundry. They would be dead wrong.

Marco knew better.

"The magical static is quite strong today, and so I shall be folding the Queen and Princess's laundry, while you shall be in charge of the King's." Sir Lavabo shot Marco a stern look, "You might be a squire, but you are a teenage boy, after all." He said, drawing a half-hearted groan from the boy.

Marco was annoyed at the insinuation, but also grateful. King River was the least magical of the Butterfly's, preferring raw strength as the Johansens do. As such, it was far less likely that any of his clothing would magically transform into a monster. But far less likely meant once or twice a week, as opposed to the daily battle Sir Lavabo engaged in with the clothing of the female side of the family.

Marco sighed, pulled his scissors out of his hoodie pocket and slid them onto his belt. He didn't want to tear up his hoodie trying to pull them out when Sir Lavabo called for help.

Marco went over to the dryer and found the basket labeled 'River' and took it over to a table to begin folding.

A few minutes later, Sir Lavabo began calling for Marco.

"Squire Marco, if you aren't too busy..." Sir Lavabo called, before being cut off. There was a sound of cloth impacting metal, and Sir Lavabo grunted.

Sighing, Marco drew out his scissors and extended them into sword form.

"And don't forget the war cry!" Sir Lavabo shouted, before being muffled again.

"FOR THE WASH!" Marco yelled, before charging into battle.

It was going to be a long day.

* * *

Once the monster was defeated and the rest of the laundry folded, Marco and Sir Lavabo sat down to discuss the day's lesson. The pair were heavily scuffed, though they now smelled pleasantly of lavender, and Marco had lost his hoodie when the Linen Monster ate it off his back.

"Squire Marco, today we discuss Magic." Sir Lavabo began, causing Marco to break into laughter.

"Sir Lavabo. I'm best friends with the Princess of Mewni. You know, the one who has the magic wand? I think I know a thing or two about magic." Marco said confidently. Sir Lavabo was unfazed by the teen's laughter.

"No, my squire, you have seen the _Princess's_ Magic, perhaps even felt its effects. What I talk about, is the Magic of the Knights." Sir Lavabo said, wiggling his fingers at Marco. Marco suddenly fell quiet, allowing Sir Lavabo to continue.

"You see, Squire Marco, many in this land and among the various dimensions have access to magic. To prevent wanton destruction, however, Magic is greatly regulated by the Magic High Commission. If they possess the power, even normal citizens can learn practical spells or use artifacts to help them in life, but most are restricted from learning combat magic. Behold!" Sir Lavabo said, making a hand gesture.

" **Lumin!** " Suddenly a ball of light burst into existence and floated in front of Marco's face.

"Whoa." Marco said in awe. He'd seen others do magic before, Star, Pony Head, Tom, even Ludo, but he hadn't seen a 'regular' person do it before.

"Most Knights of Mewni learn some magic to supplement their skills. This spell is what I hope to teach you. Though, if I am to be honest, I do not believe you to be capable of this." Sir Lavabo said, causing Marco to look stricken. "I do not mean this cruelly, but the people from your dimension do not use magic, correct." Marco nodded dumbly, worrying he might not make it as a knight after all.

"I do not know the reason your people do not use magic, but I fear that may be because you cannot physically do so. Still, I shall teach you and you shall learn. If you cannot do this thing, then we will train you in a different path for there are many ways to knighthood." Sir Lavabo said, attempting to reassure the boy. Seeing that Marco was becoming lost in thought, Sir Lavabo snapped his fingers to get his attention. Marco snapped to attention, remembering the intense physical training Sir Lavabo put him through last time his mind wandered off.

"I will show you the hand sign you need to cast the spell and the word you need. Knight spells are simple in nature and can be cast using a single word and gesture. This is because our armor limits our mobility and in battle we do not have time to cast lengthy spells. Now, memorize this hand sign." Sir Lavabo repeated the magic word and made a gesture and showed it to Marco. Being a quick study, Marco committed both to memory.

"Not all monsters are evil, but many who are lurk in the dark. This will be your light to combat the shadows! Now show me, Squire. Show me your determination."

Marco sat looking at his hands. His training had gone so well up to this point. Now, he faced what seemed an insurmountable obstacle. He clenched his hand into a fist and closed his eyes.

 _'Was this all for nothing?'_ Marco thought, doubt causing his resolve to decay. Marco was startled when Sir Lavabo began whispering to him.

"Do not give up before you even begin, Marco Diaz. Do _not_ give up."

It was then that Marco recalled the faint memories of his time in Hekapoo's dimension. His recent trips there had refreshed the memories in his mind, like a reoccurring dream, and though they had begun to fade again, he remembered who he had been, who he could be again. Adventurer Marco didn't have magic, but he was a powerful warrior who had taken on the Scissor Enforcer and earned his own dimensional scissors. Even if this didn't work, he'd just work harder and be smarter than the other knights.

Opening his eyes, Marco felt his determination rising in him. Holding his left hand out before him, Marco made the gesture and cried out the spell. He felt the power rushing from his hands.

"LUMIN!" Nothing happened. Marco's fell to his knees, defeated. Sir Lavabo knelt beside the boy and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"It is okay, Marco. It takes much time to learn a spell. You will not learn this in a single day, much less a single attempt." A loud buzzer rang throughout the Laundry Room. "Practice what I have taught you. I will let you know when today's training is over. I must go forth on a new quest, a new load of laundry is ready for drying!" Sir Lavabo said, pulling on a pair of yellow rubber gloves, before leaving the boy to his practice.

Marco sighed and got back to his feet.

"Okay, Diaz. You can do this. For Star. For Kelly..." Marco whispered to himself, before coming up short. Where had that thought come from? Marco shook his head. He'd deal with that later. He didn't want to disappoint Sir Lavabo so he held up the gesture and tried again.

"LUMIN!"

And again.

"LUMIN!"

And again.

"LUMIN!"

"LUMIN!"

"LUMIN!"

"LUMIN!"

"Lumin..."

* * *

Author's Note: I got about 1000 words into this chapter and realized that it was going to be a long one. I usually try to write between 2-4k words per chapter (though I like to end a chapter where it feels natural to do so) and this one is ringing in around 3k. As such, I decided to break it up into at least 2 parts. The next chapter will be Happy Birthday, Marco Diaz (Part 2). Please look forward to it!


	3. Happy Birthday, Marco Diaz (Part 2)

Marco and Kelly vs. The Universe

As always, thanks to everyone who has read, reviewed, favorite/followed, or PMed me. It means a lot to hear from you guys and does wonders for my motivation to keep writing!

*SPOILER ALERT*

This story takes place after the episode "Lava Lake Beach" and may contain spoilers up through the end of Season 3A. Don't forget to check out my other SVTFOE story "Washed Out" though you should be prepared for some feels if you do!

Anyone else enjoy the Stump Day episode? I would have preferred a half hour long special instead of the Holiday Spell-cial, but there was still plenty of Kellyco fuel in there. Kelly's sweater was also super cute! All aboard the S.S. Kellyco! If anyone happens to find/make a nice Kellyco wallpaper, hit me up in a PM!

I've done a basic edit of this chapter, and I'll read over it for errors over the next few days, but if you see any glaring spelling/grammatical errors, shoot me a PM!

* * *

Chapter 3: Happy Birthday, Marco Diaz (Part 2)

 _The Laundry Room, Castle Butterfly_

"LUMIN!" Marco cried out before falling to his knees panting. He'd been at it for three hours with nothing to show for his effort. Not even a small glimmer of light. Despite that, he felt as though he'd been doing heavy physical training and his voice was feeling raspy from the constant calling out of the incantation. He desperately wanted to show Sir Lavabo that he could cast the spell, but it just wasn't happening. If he was going to get a chance to rest before meeting up with Kelly and Jorby, he'd have to stop for now.

Marco leaned back and moved to a sitting position, freeing his arm up to swipe sweat from his brow. After the first hour he had discarded his hoodie (after the first time he lost a hoodie to one of the laundry room horrors, he always kept a spare in the break room), his sweat having soaked through it. Of course, his t-shirt had soaked through as well, but he'd kept that on for another half hour before discarding that as well. The sub-basement that the Laundry Room occupied was relatively cool all year around and keeping the soaking wet clothing would only cause him to get colder faster.

Marco hadn't been comfortable with the idea of stripping down while training. The last year had left him with a few torso scars that he was fairly self-conscious about. Adventuring with Star could be...dangerous and he would often hide any injuries so she wouldn't worry about him. Additionally, his chest was currently sporting multiple bruises from his training and a particularly dark bruise was over his sternum where Sir Lavabo had struck him with the tip of a practice sword when his mind had wandered from the task at hand. Sir Lavabo was a fair and competent teacher, but as a sword-master, he would mercilessly strike if Marco's attention wandered.

During the first week of training, however, he'd gotten sick when he'd worn his hoodie for too long during a hard workout. Sir Lavabo had demanded he either replace his shirt and hoodie each time it soaked through or remove them entirely. To spare himself the trip and because he didn't want to run through multiple shirts a day, he'd opted for just removing them.

"I don't get why this is so hard." Marco muttered to himself.

"Squire Marco...have you been using the ointment I supplied you with?" Sir Lavabo asked casually from a crouched position.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Marco screeched, quickly sliding back until he ran into a wall, a hand on his chest.

"A knight must always be aware of their surroundings," Sir Lavabo said with a disapproving tone. Marco stared at him, his chest working like a bellows until he calmed down. "And they should use their ointment when injured. Marco took a deep breath before responding.

"I might have forgotten last night..." Marco said, looking away from the Knight of the Wash.

"Squire Marco. Lying does not become a Squire of the Wash, nor the Princess's own squire." Sir Lavabo said, the disapproval in his voice deepening. Marco gulped. If he wasn't careful, he'd be cleaning out the lint catcher alone again as punishment.

"Fiiine. I didn't put it on because it..." Marco trailed off, muttering under his breath.

"Speak up, Squire Marco." Sir Lavabo prompted, eyeing the boy's bruises. He wished he didn't have to be so hard on the boy, but even small mistakes in the Laundry Room could end the young squire's career before it truly started. Just like poor Squire Doug.

"It...tickles." Marco said, his body slumping with the admission. Sir Lavabo burst into laughter, causing Marco to turn a bright shade of red in shame.

"I see! The ointment is designed to feel good as it heals, but I did not anticipate this! Very well, I shall see about acquiring a different type of ointment for you." Sir Lavabo said, wiping a tear from his eye, "Perhaps a tweaking of the formula will make it more bearable. Now tell me of your spell casting."

Marco allowed himself to slide all the way to the ground at Sir Lavabo's question.

"You were right. I tried. Tried for three hours!" Marco said, throwing his arms into the air. "Wore myself out. Nothing. Marco Diaz is not a spellcaster. As if I needed another reason for the other squires to rag on me." Marco rolled onto his side, facing away from Sir Lavabo. "Maybe I'm not cut out to be a knight."

Sir Lavabo frowned at Marco's words. Walking around the boy and kneeling down to face him, Sir Lavabo then placed a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Spellcasting is not necessary to be a knight, it is just a common skill, my young squire. And no squire I have met has mastered this spell in a week, much less a day. Creating light from nothing is rather difficult. Most squires start with the much easier fire spell, Igni." Marco suddenly looked up at Sir Lavabo.

"Then why...?"

"We work in the Laundry Room, my squire. Would you want to explain to Queen Moon why her favorite dress was burned to cinders?" A look of understanding crossed Marco's face, but he said nothing. Sir Lavabo's face, however, took on a puzzled look.

"What I do not understand is why you are so tired. If you could not cast magic..." Sir Lavabo suddenly looked at Marco excitedly. "Up! Up, my squire! I wish to see your attempt for myself!"

Marco groaned, but did as he was told. There was no arguing with Sir Lavabo. Unless he wanted more physical training, that is. Groaning with effort, Marco made the hand sign for the Lumin spell.

"LUMIN!" Marco cried out, but nothing happened. Marco staggered, suddenly dizzy.

"Again." Sir Lavabo said. Marco started to protest, but the piercing look on Sir Lavabo's face cut off any protest. Marco focused his concentration and made the sign again.

"Lumin!" Marco's voice was quieter this time. His vision blurred for a moment and he fell to one knee again.

Sir Lavabo stared at the fallen boy, his face pulled into an unreadable expression.

"Take a moment to rest, my squire. I shall return." Sir Lavabo left the room briefly, leaving a panting Marco behind. Marco did not react when the lights in the room suddenly dimmed to near darkness. Sir Lavabo returned a moment later.

"Again." Sir Lavabo commanded, but Marco did not move from his position, his chest still heaving from his prior efforts.

"Again, my squire." Sir Lavabo repeated.

"What's the point? I can't do it." Marco said, his voice barely more than a whisper.

"Because I ordered you to do so. As a knight, you will find your self at the precipice of exhaustion many times. Your body telling you to lay down your arms and rest, but your duty bidding you to press on. You must now decide: Harden your will, and press on, or do not and you may leave this place forever." Sir Lavabo said gravely. "I will not train someone who caves in so easily."

Marco did not move at Sir Lavabo's words. Sir Lavabo, in return, merely stared down at the boy, who's breaths were slowly returning to a normal rate. Sir Lavabo opened his mouth to try to rile Marco again, when Marco placed a hand on his knee and heaved himself to his feet. The low light kept Sir Lavabo from seeing Marco's face, but the boy's stance spoke of a fierce determination. Marco brought his hand up and gestured once more.

" **Lumin.** "

There, in the low light of the Laundry Room, a pale light flickered to life and illuminated the young squire's face. Tears streaked his cheeks and a small, amazed smile flickered across his face. The light was gone as suddenly as it had appeared and Marco fell face first onto the floor.

Sir Lavabo carefully approached the fallen boy, removed one of his ever-present rubber gloves and checked the boy.

"Breathing, but unconscious. Amazing." Sir Lavabo said quietly, before gathering the boy up in his arms and carrying him away.

* * *

 _Marco's Room_

Marco woke with a start, suddenly sitting up in bed. His head suddenly swam and he fell back onto his bed.

"Be at ease, Squire Marco. You have had quite the morning." Sir Lavabo said. Marco glanced over and saw the Knight sitting on a stool beside his bed. Marco felt something stirring at his feet and saw that Glossaryck was curled up at the foot of his bed.

"I had the strangest dream, Sir Lavabo. I was down in the Laundry Room and you taught me a spell to make light. For some reason it just couldn't get it work. I wanted to cast the spell so badly. Then I did and it was the most beautiful thing in the world." Marco paused and blushed, thinking of Star, then, for some reason, Kelly. "Well, maybe the third most beautiful thing...silly, huh?" Marco whispered quietly, before looking over at Sir Lavabo.

The man beamed at Marco, looking like a proud dad who's child had just learned how to ride a bike.

"Squire Marco, what you did this morning was prodigious. For someone from the earth dimension to have access to magic is one thing, but to learn to cast Lumin in a single morning..." Sir Lavabo shook his head while smiling. Marco looked blankly at the eccentric knight, not comprehending his words.

"You mean..." Marco said, turning his head to look at the ceiling, a poster of Justin Towers smiling back down at him.

"You may not have mastered it, but if my guess is correct, you spent all morning casting Lumin. It would explain why you slept until..." Sir Lavabo glanced out the window. "About 6 in the evening!"

"WHAAAT! Oh, man! I'm going to be late!" Marco said, suddenly springing out of the bed, panic filling him with energy.

"GLOBGOR!" Glossaryck yelled, before scampering out of the room.

"I gotta take a shower! I gotta do my hair!" Marco's stomach suddenly grumbled loud enough for Sir Lavabo to hear.

"Marco, I do not think you should be going anywhere, so soon after passing out." Sir Lavabo said with concern, as Marco scrambled about.

"I told Kelly, I'd spar with her and Jorby today! I can't skip out on them now!" Marco said, running his deodorant stick through his hair as he began stripping out of his jam jams. Marco paused a moment, noticing his torso was bandaged up, before glancing over to Sir Lavabo.

"I had the resident physician bring up a new ointment. This batch had less giggleleaf mixed in." Sir Lavabo explained. Marco blinked for a moment, before returning to panic mode. Marco ran into his bathroom and began showering. Better to go hungry than to be smelly when you were meeting with a cute girl.

When he returned to his bedroom, Marco noticed that Sir Lavabo was gone. On his bed, however, was a neatly folded pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and one of his hoodies. Additionally, his dimensional scissors and a large paper bag, that appeared to be leaking, were sitting on the bed with a note attached. Marco threw his clothes on before reading the note.

* * *

 _Dear Squire Marco,_

 _Knowing you would be hungry, I had some corn cobs brought up for you._

 _I wanted to talk to you more about this morning, but I did not want to hold you up. We shall discuss it on the morrow, but I will say this. I knew you could use magic; your dimensional scissors are the proof. A being without magic could not wield such a tool as you do. I merely did not believe you could use magic unaided, at least not so soon. I am proud of you, my boy._

 _While I would advise you against any further physical activity for this day, I know that it is impossible for a young man to forgo meeting with a young lady when called upon._

 _Do not wear yourself out, my Squire. I still expect you to go questing with me in the morning._

 _Sincerely._

 _Sir Lavabo, Knight of the Wash_

 _P.S. Feel free to share the corn with Kelly and Jorby. I made sure to have the servant bring up several cobs and a side of butter!_

 _P.P.S. I used a new Lavender Scented soap to wash your hoodie. Tell me your thoughts when you return!_

* * *

Marco smiled at Sir Lavabo's note, before he reread the second to last line. Sighing, Marco looked at the butter staining his bed sheet. Opening the paper bag, he saw that the servant had thrown a whole stick of butter straight into the bag. Marco picked up his dimensional scissors and cut open a portal to the Laundry Room. Marco stripped the blanket and bed sheets from his bed and tossed them into the portal before closing it up.

Looking at the clock on his dresser, Marco saw that it was time to meet up with Kelly and Jorby. Marco pulled out his scissors and grinned. He could use magic, if only a little. He could be a knight.

Marco grabbed the leaking bag of corn cobs, cut open a portal, and went to meet his friends.

* * *

Author's note: To be continued in Part 3! As I said in the last chapter, these chapters were all meant to be part of a single chapter, but I hit just a bit past 2k words at the end here.. I really wanted to spend sometime showing Marco's birthday because I have yet to see anyone really address it other than to argue about whether or not Star forgot his birthday.

As such, the first two chapters of Marco's birthday ended up being Marco/Sir Lavabo-centric. Not exactly what I intended when I started writing this, but the story takes me where it will. I'm almost as much of a passenger on this ride as you are! Next chapter will feature more of Kelly, and future chapters will be about their adventures together.

I'm thinking that the events in the show will be referenced in this story, but I won't be rehashing them, unless I decide to do a continuation type chapter like I did with Chapter 1.

Finally, I'd like to dedicate this chapter to the memory of my Grandpa Jim, who passed away this morning (12/4/2017). He will be dearly missed. Love you, Gramps.

* * *

 **Marco's Book of Spells:** (I'll be leaving this at the end of chapters with magic cast by Marco.)

 **Lumin** \- Creates a small ball of light. Duration and area of effect vary based on caster skill.

 **Igni** \- (Mentioned) Creates a blast of fire. Power and area of effect vary based on skill of the caster and their creativity.

* * *

Bonus Song!

 _Kellyco Junction- A parody of Sleepytime Junction by Danny Sexbang of Ninja Sex Party_

Somebody's taking the train to Kellyco Junction,

Somebody's shipping so hard they can barely function!

So we're hopping on that train to Kellyco Junction!

Somebody's taking the train to Kellyco Junction.

"ALL ABOARD!" cries the Engineer.

"Kellyco Junction is so near!"

 _Repeat from beginning until Kellyco is canon_


	4. Happy Birthday, Marco Diaz (Finale)

Marco and Kelly vs. The Universe

As always, thanks to everyone who has read, reviewed, favorite/followed, or PMed me. I am blown away at the response to this story!

As of writing this, I have had 73 reviews for the 3 chapters I've written! We're within spitting distance of my most reviewed story which was 22 chapters long (97 reviews)! It's my birthday next week (December 13th) and a great gift for me would be you reviewing this chapter! *whispers* (get me to 100 reviews)

May the hiatus be short, and Season 3B be full of Kellyco!

*SPOILER ALERT*

This story takes place after the episode "Lava Lake Beach" and may contain spoilers up through the end of Season 3A. Don't forget to check out my other SVTFOE story "Washed Out" though you should be prepared for some feels if you do!

If you see any glaring spelling/grammatical errors, let me know in a PM. I'll be rereading this over the next few days for proofing. I'm still finding errors in other chapters and fixing them as I go along.

* * *

Chapter 4: Happy Birthday, Marco Diaz (Finale)

 _The Desert Dimension_

Kelly basked in the sun of the Desert Dimension as she awaited her sparring companions. Although it was late fall on Mewni, the intense heat told Kelly that the Desert Dimension was nearing the peak of summer.

The heat had forced Kelly to switch the sweater she had been wearing the night before at the Soulrise with a similar pink and white striped t-shirt. To help with the sun, she also swapped out her black shorts for white ones. Her sandals, which would be impractical in battle, had been replaced with her favorite pink boots, which were surprisingly comfortable to fight in. The only thing that she hadn't swapped out was the purple ribbon she had been using to tie her hair back. She'd been wearing during some of her luckiest times in her life and she felt like she could use a little luck tonight.

She hadn't seen Jorby since the previous night and as such never had the opportunity to tell him Marco would be joining them for sparring. Given that Jorby tried to kill Marco when he thought he was Kelly's new sparring partner, she wasn't sure how he'd react once he found out that had become true less than a day later.

Sighing, Kelly reach into her hair and pulled out her greatsword and a sharpening stone.

"I just hope he doesn't _ruff_ Marco up too much..." Kelly said before snorting with laughter. She began running the stone along the edges of her blade as her thoughts turned to her somewhat new friend. Up until last night, they'd only ever hung out with Star or Pony Head as an intermediary friend. Even the trip to Lava Lake Beach had been arranged by Star. Although Jorby would be there, today would serve as a sort of proving ground for their friendship. If they could hang out without Star or Pony Head there, then maybe the connection they had the previous day wasn't a one time thing caused by shared grief.

She really hoped so, Marco seemed like he needed some friends he could hang out with outside of Star. She could tell his crush on his best friend was...well...crushing him.

"He helped Tad move on for my sake, maybe I can help him move on from Star for his sake." She said to quietly. She blushed a bit at how that sounded.

"Help who move on?" A voice said from behind her, causing her to drop her sword as she leapt away from the speaker.

"AAAGGGG." She screamed, her foot catching on the hilt of her sword, causing her to tumble to the ground.

"Are you, like, okay, Kelly? You're acting really weird right now." Jorby said as he padded up to his green haired friend. Kelly's groaned, placing a hand on her chest. She could feel her heart beating wildly and the sudden adrenaline was making her limbs feel like jelly.

"Jorbyyyy! You scared the daylights out of me! You can't just sneak up on a girl!" She screamed as she tried to get her heart rate under control.

"Sorry, Kelly. Usually, your like, on guard or whatever. I thought you'd hear me coming!" The wolf demon said casually. "Anyway, sorry about last night. I got a little jealous of your friend. I didn't know you were dealing with junk."

"It's...okay, Jorby. Tad and I...broke up. For good." Kelly said, standing up and brushing the sand off her clothes. "Dang it, now I got sand in my hair!" She said, running her fingers through her hair. Once she had finished brushing what sand she could out of her hair, she turned back to Jorby.

"Anyway, Marco convinced Tad to move out. He was a big help, ya know." Kelly said, smiling softly.

"Yeah, I could totally tell he was a good guy when I saw him." Jorby said, apparently forgetting he had attacked Marco on sight.

"I'm glad you think so! I invited him to spar with us today!" Kelly said with a cheerful smile.

"I'mma kill him!" Jorby suddenly said, eyes glowing white. Jorby howled at the sky and started foaming at the mouth as he started looking around, hoping to find the red-hoodied boy so he could tear him to shreds.

"You're not going to kill him, Jorby! He's my friend, I like him!" Kelly said angrily, stomping her foot into the sand.

"You said you weren't replacing me with him! I don't want to have to fight Greg!" Jorby said, his voice demonic as he stared down Kelly.

"NO ONE'S REPLACING YOU!" Kelly yelled, "You can be so frustrating sometimes! I invited Marco to spar _with_ us! He's going through some stuff, too, and needs some friends!"

Jorby looked like he was going to continue raging for a second, but then he sighed and his eyes returned to normal.

"Just so you know, when we spar, I'm totally going to beat him in, like, 5 seconds!" Jorby said as he sat on the ground and started pouting.

"5 seconds? You think he'll be harder to beat than Greg?" Kelly asked, amused.

"ANYONE COULD BEAT GREG, KELLY! MY LITTLE SISTER COULD BEAT GREG IN HER SLEEP!" Jorby yelled, before huffing. "When's he going to be here, anyway? We were supposed to start a few minutes ago!"

"Actually, I'm glad he isn't here yet. I needed to talk to you about today." Kelly began, drawn a curious look from the demon wolf. "It's Marco's birthday today. I'm planning something and I need your help."

Kelly walked up to Jorby and beckoned him to bend over so she could whisper in his ear.

"Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Uhhh-huuuuhhh." Jorby said, shaking his head as Kelly explained the plan.

"Could you do that for me, Jorby?" Kelly asked, hopefully.

"I guess. You must really like him to do this for him, Kelly." Jorby said, flashing her a suggestive grin.

"Oh my Mewni! It's not like that! For now, we're just friends!" Kelly said, blushing, but unable to keep a grin off her face. She couldn't deny that she felt some spark for the boy. He had been so kind last night, helping her when he didn't need to, trusting her with one of his secrets. But her heartbreak was still too fresh and as she told Marco last night, right now she just needed a friend.

 _'He is cute though...'_

Jorby's grin widened, like a child with a secret he wanted to tell the world.

"For now?" Jorby said, dragging out the last syllable. Kelly's face took on a deeper hue, and she reached into her hair. Pulling out a tennis ball, she chucked it at Jorby, nailing him in the snout. His eyes started watering, but he fell over and began rolling around in the sand while laughing.

"Kelly and Marco sparring in the sand! H-U-G-G-I-N-G!" Jorby chanted through his laughter.

"Jorby! That doesn't even rhyme!" She yelled, causing Jorby to laugh even harder. "Ugh! That's it! Now you're getting it!" She said, picking up her sword and charging the wheezing wolf.

As she reached Jorby's side, she lifted her sword to strike at his belly when the tearing sound of a portal opening reached her ears. Stopping short, she looked over at a portal that had materialized and saw Marco exit the portal holding his scissors and a bag that appeared to be leaking.

"Ah man! I'm sorry I'm late, but did you guys start without me?" Marco said, sounding a little put out.

"Marco!" Kelly said, shoving her sword into her hair before running over to the boy. Marco lifted the bag and his scissors to the side just before she caught him in a hug. "Happy birthday!"

"Careful! I don't want to poke you with the scissors or get butter on you!" Marco said, slipping his scissors into his pocket. Kelly released him from her grasp to see him smiling.

"We hadn't really started yet. Jorby was being a butt!" she said, causing the wolf monster to start choking from his laughter.

"Well, I brought corn. Maybe we could eat it and you could tell me what's so funny?" Marco asked, smiling as Jorby rolled back on to his paws and started coughing.

"Well, Kelly just has..." Jorby said as he padded his way over. Kelly suddenly reached down and grabbed a handful of sand before chucking it into Jorby's eyes.

"Shut...up...Jorby!" Kelly said through gritted teeth. Jorby started panicking and rolling around on the ground.

"Not...*cough*...cool...*cough*...Kelly!" Jorby said as he tried to paw the sand out of his eyes.

"Alright, alright! Easy, Kelly. Let's just have some corn!" Marco said, trying to calm the angry teen. Marco pulled a cob of corn out of the bag and handed it to Kelly who immediately began tearing into it.

"Whoa, this is really good! Is this from the Castle?" Kelly asked, surprised. Castle Butterfly was known to have the best corn in Mewni. It was a known delicacy to those who could get access to it.

"Uh, yeah? Is it really good? It looked kinda...slapped together to me." Marco asked as he handed a couple cobs to Jorby, who had managed to clear the sand from his eyes. "I'm Marco, by the way." Marco said to Jorby.

"I'm Jorbungand, but my friends call me Jorby. I guess if Kelly's your friend, you can call me that too." Jorby said before swallowing the corn cobs whole.

"Well it's, uh, nice to meet you. Wait...didn't I see you at St. O's?" Marco asked, eyeing the wolf monster.

"Maybe? I like party there sometimes." Jorby said casually, looking at his claws.

"Marco here is secretly Princess Turdina." Kelly said with a sly look towards the boy.

"Wait. A. Minute." Jorby said, suddenly staring Marco down. "You're that Marco? Princess Marco Turdina? OH MY MEWNI! I, like, have all your collectibles!" Jorby said suddenly, pressing his face against Marco, causing Kelly to burst into laughter.

"Kelly!" Marco groaned as his face flushed with embarrassment. Jorby suddenly remembered he was trying to act cool and backed off a few steps.

"I mean...my sister has all your collectibles. I just, like, bought them for her. Not that I care." Jorby said, looking away.

"Alright, now that we're all sufficiently embarrassed, let's get to work!" Kelly said, throwing her spent cob on the ground.

"But I haven't finished eating yet!" Marco complained. He was still pretty hungry as he'd only managed to finish about half his cob.

"Come on, Marco! You can eat in a few minutes! I want to see that sword in action!" Kelly pleaded, "Come on, we'll go first!" Marco glanced longingly at his half finished meal before placing it back in the back and setting it aside. For whatever reason, he couldn't deny Kelly's request.

"Let's go, Marco! Just you and..." Kelly started as she reached to pull her sword out of her hair, but then she heard Jorby growling angrily. "Uh...how about you and Jorby go first." Kelly finished. Apparently, Jorby was still feeling a bit threatened by Marco.

"Oookay. I'm just going to start with my karate, though. I need to practice my hand-to...uh...hand-to-paw I guess." Marco said as he settled into a back stance.

"What the heck are you doing?" Jorby growled, "Are you mocking me? We're supposed to be sparring! Not sword-hand dancing! GRRRRR INFERIORITY COMPLEX WAR CRY!" Jorby shouted before charging Marco. Having expected the spar to being like they did at Sensei's dojo, Marco was caught off guard by Jorby's charge. Marco stumbled backwards, trying to avoid the shoulder check he suspected Jorby was going to start with and barely managed to avoid his horns. There was a ripping sound as Marco dodged and Marco groaned in dismay.

Jorby had torn a huge gash through the front of his hoodie. Marco began circling Jorby as he pulled his scissors out of his pocket and quickly removed the destroyed jacket.

"Not cool, man!" Marco cried as Jorby began charging him again. Marco chucked his hoodie at Jorby's face and it ended up tangled in his horns, blocking his vision. Jorby roared and shook his head to dislodge the hoodie.

While Jorby was distracted, Marco got into his ready stance and focused on his scissors. Swinging the blade in a wide arc, the blades of the scissors lengthened into its sword form, fire blazing along its edge.

Without thinking, Marco charged forward and slashed Jorby along his right side, drawing a snarl from the wolf.

"Oh no! Jorby!" Marco suddenly cried out, realizing what he had done.

"Nice job, Marco! Point Diaz!" Kelly cheered.

"Kelly! I hurt Jorby!" Marco said, panicking. He hadn't wanted to hurt Jorby, but when he was startled, his training had kicked in and he acted on instinct.

"Dang it. I thought for sure I'd win the first round!" Jorby moaned as he finally managed to get the hoodie off his face. "You got lucky, Marco Diaz."

"Whaaaaat?" Marco said, stunned. He hadn't wanted to hurt Jorby, but he was also sure he struck a solid blow. Kelly snorted before replying.

"If Jorby hadn't been so eager, I would have explained." Kelly said, running over to check on Marco, "Jorby's hide is like, super tough. Even, I couldn't cut through it with my greatsword at full swing. Make's him a great sparring partner!"

"We usually go until someone strike a solid blow, but like I said you got lucky. I almost had you with my horns!" Jorby said, looking at the ground and absently pawing it.

"Aww, don't be down Jorbs! He's been training with Sir Lavabo!" Kelly said, trying to comfort her friend.

"He's better than, Greg, anyway. I killed him in like, 2 seconds." Jorby said, pouting. Kelly groaned at Jorby.

"For the last time, you didn't kill Greg. I just saw him earlier. He wanted a rematch, but I sent him away. Since you think you're so good, how about you take Marco and I on at the same time?" Kelly asked, grinning a taunt at her bestial buddy.

"I think...I'm going...to pass. Is it...just me or...is it a little hot here?" Marco asked, panting, his sword had already returned to scissor-mode. Kelly glanced at Marco and saw that his shirt had soaked through with sweat.

"Oh, Marco! I'm so sorry! I forgot you might not be used to fighting in the desert!" Kelly said, running over to him. She reached into her hair and pulled out a bottle of water and handed it to him. Marco quickly opened it and guzzled half the bottle in one swallow. "Why don't you take a break and watch Jorby and I fight?"

Marco nodded in agreement and slumped to the ground.

"Is there anything your hair doesn't have?" Marco asked as he wiped his brow.

"Well I keep a lot of necessities in there. You saw when you kicked Tad out. I have a little pocket dimension in there. It's kinda convenient, you know?" Kelly explained, as she pulled out her sword.

Marco sighed in relief as he pressed the cold bottle to his head. He couldn't believe he'd been sidelined so quickly, but he wasn't used to the heat. In hindsight, wearing a hoodie and jeans to a desert dimension wasn't the brightest idea. Even Kelly had dressed down.

As Kelly and Jorby began to fight, it was clear to Marco that they were on a different level than him. Or at the very least had a lot of practice fighting each other. They moved in relatively perfect sync, Jorby's paw meeting the flat of Kelly's blade when he swung at her, him catching her sword on his horns or using them to deflect the blow. A perfect series of attacks and counter attacks. It was almost like art. He hoped he could fight like that one day.

The match ended when Jorby landed a solid blow, smacking Kelly with his paw and knocking her to the ground. Marco ran over and helped her up as she laughed.

"Good fight, Jorbs!" Kelly said grinning. Jorby grinned back at her and settled down onto the ground to rest.

"You okay, Kelly." Marco asked, "He got you pretty good."

"I'm fine. We do this all the time. As Jorby likes to say, 'If you can fight in a desert, you can fight anywhere. Look at my horns, they're like totes awesome. Grrr.'!" Kelly said, imitating Jorby's voice.

"I don't sound like that at all!" Jorby growled.

"Aww. Someone's being a mister grumpy puppy! Alright, how about you and I go this time, Marco?" Kelly said, drawing a rumble from Jorby. Kelly ignored him and smiled at Marco. "Come on, I want to see what it's like being on the business end of your sword!"

"Uh, phrasing, Kelly?" Marco said, arching an eyebrow at her. Kelly replayed her last sentence in her head before blushing, the innuendo obvious. "Just draw your sword already, you dork!" she said as she turned her greatsword on him. Marco rose to her challenge and drew his scissors out and immediately into sword-mode.

Kelly led with an overhead swing, bring the blade down straight at Marco. Marco stepped to the side and brought his sword up to block the blow and his blade was nearly knocked from his hand.

"Amateur move, Diaz!" Jorby heckled, annoyance clear in his voice. Marco ignored him and swung at Kelly while she pried her own sword from the sand. She barely brought her blade up in time to block his blow, but his blade rang against hers, jarring his arm. Marco leapt back and began rubbing his arm, which had begun to tingle a bit.

"Come on, Marco! Show me what you got!" Kelly said, charging, swinging her blade in a horizontal arc. Marco dropped to the ground as her blade whizzed by overhead and then had to roll out of the way as she used the momentum to bring the blade down in another overhead slash.

Unbeknownst to the pair, Jorby had gotten up and started pacing back and forth while staring Marco down.

"Let's change it up!" Marco yelled, grabbing his sword in both hands. Marco tugged the hilt in opposite directions and split his sword up into dual swords. Marco charged Kelly and began raining blows down from both sides. Despite the increase in attacks, Kelly didn't seem to have any trouble blocking each blow. It was quickly becoming clear to Marco; Kelly was by far the more experienced swordsman. What was worse for Marco, the heat was beginning to get to him again.

Kelly leapt away from Marco, pivoted and used her momentum to bring another overhanded blow down at Marco. Unable to avoid the strike, Marco brought his blades up in a cross guard and barely caught the blow. Kelly leaned forward, pushing her blade closer to Marco and bringing their faces close. Kelly grinned fiercely at her friend.

"Not bad, Diaz. You're wearing down though. I'm totally about to kick your...Jorby?" Kelly said, her face turning to surprise as she looked over Marco's shoulder.

"Kick my Jorby? What does that mean?" Marco asked, confused. Kelly suddenly spun around, her back to Marco. Before Marco could react, he felt a semi-truck strike him from behind and send him flying towards Kelly. He threw his hands up in front of his face. An instant later he slammed into Kelly's back and kept going before landing on something soft...

* * *

 _Kelly's Pocket Dimension_

Marco landed on the soft floor of Kelly's hair dimension and rolled to a comfortable stop. He lay on the ground for a moment dazed from the sudden attack.

"Oh my Mewni! Are you okay, Marco?" Kelly asked as she knelt over him. She placed a hand behind his neck, causing him to shiver. "Your neck feels okay, so it probably isn't broken. Can you sit up?" Kelly held a hand out to Marco and helped him into a sitting position.

"Kelly? If your here, where are we?" Marco asked, bewildered. Looking around, he noticed the area had been cleaned up a bit.

"My hair dimension, you goof. I didn't want you to get hurt, so I caught you." She said as she pulled him to his feet.

"But if you're in here, what's out there?" Marco said, pointing out the way he came.

"That's still me! I'm kinda on auto-pilot evade mode out there. I can come in here though. Neat, right? Now come on. We gotta calm Jorby down!" Marco started to ask more questions, but Kelly grabbed his hand and dragged him toward the exit.

* * *

 _Desert Dimension_

As Marco exited Kelly's hair, the Kelly that was pulling him disappeared and the other Kelly was already moving. It was only then that he noticed she had freed her hair and it was now flowing behind her as she started to run.

"Move, Marco!" She yelled as she started to gather her hair back into a ponytail. Marco barely moved out of the way as Jorby's paw slammed into the ground. Marco looked up at Jorby's face and noticed that his eyes were glowing white, not unlike Tom's when his anger was controlling him. Marco immediately turned and started sprinting towards Kelly.

" **KELLY IS** _ **MY**_ **SPARRING PARTNER!** " Jorby yelled as he took off after the pair. Marco ran as quickly as he could, but Jorby was gaining on him. He just wasn't prepared to fight and run in this kind of heat. Marco winced as he felt Jorby right behind him, sure that he was about to feel Jorby bite him. With a roar, Jorby leapt over Marco and landed a few steps behind Kelly.

Kelly turned to look at Jorby with surprise before he leaned down and grabbed the back of her shirt and lifted her into the air.

"Marco, help!" She cried out as Jorby sprinted off with her. Marco felt renewed energy as he saw Jorby start to carry off his friend. There was no telling what Jorby would do in this state, but Marco didn't want to find out. Marco's legs burned as he ran, but he was slowly falling behind.

Without warning, a large portal opened ahead of Jorby and the wolf monster leapt through, taking Kelly with him. Worried he'd lose them, Marco dove through the portal without a second thought.

* * *

 _Unknown Location_

As Marco exited the portal, he was plunged into near darkness. The only light in the room was what mystical light was shed by the portal. Marco tried to peer into the darkness, but transitioning from the bright desert sun to the pitch black of the room made it impossible to see where Jorby and Kelly might be. Looking down for the only clue that might tell him where he was, Marco observed that the floor was made of marble with gold inlay. Marco was startled when the portal suddenly closed behind him. Swinging around, he heard something scuttle away but he couldn't see what it was.

"Kelly? Jorby? Where are you?" Marco called out into the darkness, but no one answered. His ears suddenly picked up quiet whispering and hushing. Marco thought about igniting his sword to cast some light, but if he had to use his sword, the moving light source would cause the shadows to shift and change, distracting him. He'd do it, better than fighting in the dark, but he had one other trick he could try. Sir Lavabo had armed him for just such a situation. If it failed, well nothing but a moment was lost. Closing his eyes, Marco concentrated and made a hand sign in the dark.

" **Lumin.** " He whispered. Marco felt something rush out of him and a small orb of light appeared, lighting up the area around him. He grinned for a moment, before realizing he wasn't alone. There were multiple shapes in the dark, just outside the pool of light his spell had created.

" **MARCO DIAZ...** " Jorby suddenly rumbled from behind Marco, once again startling him and causing him to spin around. Jorby padded into the light, his demonically white eyes suddenly glowing as he approached. Marco readied himself to defend against the wolf demon, when suddenly the room burst into light. Marco threw up his arms to shield his eyes from the light and couldn't believe what he heard.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY. MARCO!"

As Marco lowered his eyes, he saw that the shapes in the dark had been a combination of decorations and his friends and family, who had been hiding in the dark. Kelly, Jorby, Janna, Ferguson, Alfonzo, Pony Head, Miss Skullnik, Rafael, Angie, Sir Lavabo, Tom, Star, Queen Moon, and King River surrounded him cheering. They were in the dining hall of Castle Butterfly!

"Whaaaaat is going on?" Marco said, bewildered. Star suddenly ran up to Marco and grabbed him in a hug.

"Happy biiiiiirthday, bestie!" Star shouted as she squeezed Marco until the air rushed out of his lungs. Marco freed himself from Star's grasp just in time for the rest of the guests to surround him. His mom and dad were next to embrace him.

"Aye mijo! We did not think we would get to see you on your birthday this year!" Rafael said, before bursting into tears. Angie began to speak up, but Janna pushed her way to the front.

"'Sup. Thought you could escape your annual spanking?" Janna asked with a grin.

"You aren't spanking me, Janna!" Marco said angrily. He nearly started waving his hands at her, but became very conscious that he was still holding his sword. Marco began to return the blade to scissor form as Janna walked passed him. Before he could stop her, Marco felt her slap his butt as she walked away.

"Better watch yourself then. Fourteen more!" Janna said, cackling as she walked. Marco turned to chase after her, but Tom stepped in and gave Marco a hurt look.

"Hey man. I thought we were friends! Why didn't you tell me it was your birthday?" Tom asked, bringing Marco up short.

"I..." Marco began, the sudden switching of gears causing his brain to stumble.

"I'm just messing with you. Star already explained." Tom said, holding a fist out. Marco bumped it just in time before Ferguson and Alfonzo sandwiched him.

"Happy birthday, buddy! Where's the hotties?" Ferguson said excitedly.

"Happy birthday! The Empress Pixie isn't here is she?" Alfonzo asked worriedly. They had a fight the last time they spoke. Alfonzo had objected to the Empress trying to eat him and she banished him until he could come to his senses.

"I don't..." Marco said, before River pulled the boys off him and offered his own greeting.

"Marco, m'boy! Happy birthday!" River shouted while laughing.

"Yes, dear, happy birthday." Queen Moon said warmly as she went to stand by her husband.

"Thank y..." Marco started, but the Pony Head burst in.

"Happy birthday, Marco. Look at this decorations. I did them myself. Aren't they great? I'm great!" Marco backed away from everyone as they pressed in. Spotting Kelly's hair over River's head, Marco suddenly pushed through his assembled friends to get to her.

"Kelly! What is going on? Are you okay?" He said, running up to her. She grinned at him before laughing.

"We got you good didn't we? Star set this whole thing up! Said she couldn't let you have a birthday without a party." Kelly said, wiping a tear from her eye. Jorby padded over and sat on his haunches. Marco yelled and took up a ready stance as he looked up at Jorby.

"Like, sorry I didn't get you a gift. Kelly told me a few minutes before you showed up to spar." Jorby said, his tongue hanging out as he panted.

"So you freaking out was a trick?" Marco asked, confused. Kelly laughed and put her hand around his shoulder.

"Totally, dude!" Kelly said. Jorby suddenly looked away bashfully.

"Mostly..." Jorby whispered, though Marco heard him and blanched. Before anything else could be said, Star pushed her way back to the front and threw her arm over Marco's shoulder as well, overlapping with Kelly.

"Sooo? Did I do good or did I do good?" She asked excitedly. Marco started to say he was super confused and uncomfortable, but seeing her face softened his heart. He also noticed she was wearing the same outfit she had been wearing at Lava Lake Beach the night before.

' _She must have been up all night and day getting this ready._ '

"You did great, Star." Marco said, smiling. A huge grin split Star's face, before a suddenly look of disgust. Pulling away from Marco, Star noticed he was missing his hoodie and covered in sweat.

"Ewww, Marco. You smell like wet dog and B.O.!" She said, waving her hand in front of her face and pinching her nose. Kelly seemed to notice it at the same time and took a step away from Marco.

"I mean, I was just sparring with Kelly and Jorby! You didn't even give me a chance to...Star...what are you...nonononoNONONONO!" Marco said panicking. Star had pulled out her wand and was aiming it at him.

" **LAZY LAVENDER LYE LAUNDERING!** " Star called out and a wave of magic and flowers suddenly slammed into Marco, knocking him to the ground. Marco sat up dazed, idly noting that he was no longer covered in sweat. He heard the sound of someone sniffing and looked up to see Janna standing over him.

"Not bad, but not as good as your cologne. Kelly, you should get a whiff of this." Janna said with a grin, drawing a blush from the girl.

"N-no thanks! I'm good." Kelly said waving her hands. She kinda wanted to smell Marco, but she couldn't bring herself to do it in front of everyone.

"Now let's really get this Partay started!" Star called out, brandishing her wand again.

" **MEGA MUSICAL DISCO MANIA!** " Star called out, a ball of energy appeared high above everyone. Lights, lasers, and music filled the room, the dining hall into a dance floor. Running over to where Marco was sitting, Star grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet.

"Come on! Let's dance!" She shouted over the music and began pulling him to the center of the room. Without thinking, Marco reached out and grabbed Kelly's hand and pulled her along as well. Once in the center of the room, Star and Kelly began dancing while looking at Marco, who wasn't moving. His brain was overloaded and he couldn't think straight. He glanced at Star who was swinging her arms up and down and she shot him a small smile. That was all it took for him to remember the last time they were dancing.

" _Just move your body and be yourself!_ " She had told him. Taking a deep breath, Marco bowed formally and broke into the karate moves he'd used at the Bounce Lounge.

"Yeah! Sword-hand dance!" Kelly shouted over the music and began imitating him. Across the room, Tom suddenly shot into the air on a burst of flame. Landing next to Star, he started headbanging while pumping his fists to the music.

"LET US RRRRRRREVEL!" River yelled at the top of his lungs, before tearing his coat off, putting on a pair of shutter shades, and rushing the dance floor. Within moments everyone was on the dance floor enjoying themselves. They danced for what seemed like hours until the spell began to fade and everyone took a seat at the various tables in the room. Star grabbed Marco out of the seat he had just sat down in and dragged him over to a huge multi-tiered karate-themed cake. She cut him a huge piece and shoved it into his hands before making plates for the rest of the guests.

Marco sat down and absently took a bite as he watched her work. Suddenly, refried beans and nacho cheese oozed into his mouth, causing him to choke.

"Hey Marco! You like? It's nacho flavored!" Star called out, waving at him with the knife in her hand, causing Rafael to duck when it came too close to his face. He smiled back at her. Cooking wasn't her strong suit, but she made up for it with enthusiasm. Taking a second bit, he realized it wasn't that bad, not that he knew what to expect. The face that the cake was still coated in icing was a little weird, but that was Star for you.

Kelly and Jorby joined Marco to eat their cake (Jorby had an entire tier of the cake to himself) and Marco grilled them on their part of the plan. Jorby ended up apologizing, saying he had gotten a little worked up. From there, they descended into joking with each other about the sparring practice.

"You are way better that, Greg." Jorby complimented as Marco ate the last bite of his slice.

"Thanks Jorb..." Marco said, but he felt someone grab him from behind and drag him from his seat.

"PRESENTSSSS!" Star sang as she pulled him over to a table full of gifts. Pushing Marco into a chair, she started going through the presents until she found the one she wanted Marco to start with. The first one was from her; a small box wrapped in stripped red, Prussian blue, and plum colored wrapping paper.

"How did you even find this kind of wrapping paper, Star?" Marco asked as she shoved it into his hands.

"Uh. Magic wand? Come on! Open it already!" Marco smiled a little bashfully before he began very carefully removing the wrapping paper. Star began hyper ventilating as she couldn't stand the fact that he wasn't tearing into it, but she held herself in check.

"Come on! Comeoncomecomeon! Open it, Marco!" she said, jumping in place. Marco grinned as he meticulously began folding the wrapping paper. Star literally began vibrating. Marco opened the box and pulled out what appeared to be a compact mirror designed to look like a yin yang symbol.

"A mirror?" Marco asked.

"Yeah! It's from ReflectaCorp! I know a guy! Since you live on Mewni now I thought you could use one. Now you can call me, or Kelly, or anyone really!" Star said excitedly.

"Thanks, Star!" Marco said, happily. Marco set the mirror back in the box and Star grabbed it from him and placed a new gift in his lap. This time from Sir Lavabo. Marco opened this package more quickly to prevent Star from spontaneously combusting. Opening the package, Marco pulled out an armored hoodie.

"I had one of your hoodies modified, my squire. A chest guard and forearm protectors have been sewn into the fabric to give you additional protection, while letting you remain mobile!" Sir Lavabo declared.

"Thanks, Sir Lavabo!" Marco said, excitedly. Pulling it on, he noted that his hoodie was heavier than he was used to, but every bit as comfortable.

This continued on with each gift. From Janna he got an album of baby pictures of him. She had been holding it for blackmail, but figured it made a nice gift. Marco nearly passed out when Tom gave him a limited edition album of Love Sentence's first album, signed by Justin Towers himself. Ferguson and Alfonzo gave him a copy of the 3rd edition of Trolls and Treasures, Mewni addition.

"It was really had to get!" Ferguson said with a grin.

"Yeah! They added the Magical Princess and Rebel Princess classes!" Alfonzo said excitedly.

Pony Head gave him a signed picture of herself, drawing a groan from Marco.

"Come on, Earth Turd. I gave you the gift of me. The best gift of all!" Pony Head exclaimed.

He got various other gifts from his other friends, but his favorite ended up coming from Kelly.

He opened her present and pulled out a soft red scarf. One side of the scarf had a 'M' embroidered in white.

"I didn't have time to get you something really nice...but winter's coming and I thought you could use something to keep you warm...'M' for Marco" Kelly said blushing.

"I...I love it." Marco said, wrapping it around his neck, the 'M' facing outward. Kelly smiled and gave him a hug. Janna started coughing, interrupting the moment.

"You want us to clear out or..." Janna asked with a malicious grin. The pair quickly separated.

"Alright!" Star called out, "I think that's all the gifts!"

"Not quite." Someone said, just loud enough for everyone to hear. Eclipsa stepped out from a shadowed corner of the room, smiling at the birthday boy. She was clad in her favored outfit, minus the hat. He eyes almost seemed to glow a faint purple color.

"Eclipsa!" The Mewnian half of the party gasped while the humans looked confused.

"It's...it's okay, everyone!" Star said nervously, "Did you come to wish Marco happy birthday?"

"I did. I also want to give him a gift." Eclipsa said easily, as though her presence hadn't cause a disruption. She walked up to Marco, who sprang from his seat and brought his fists up.

"Stay back!" Marco yelled.

"Happy birthday, Marco. Come now, let me tell you your gift." Despite Marco's aggressive stance, he stood motionless as she approached him. She leaned close and whispered into his ear.

"I shall tell you something I told Star and something I didn't. First, all knowledge is good knowledge. Second, dark is not necessarily evil." Marco merely stared passed her, not responding to her words.

"Now for your gift." Eclipsa said. She pressed a kiss to his cheek and for a brief moment a glowing crescent moon appeared where her lips touched. "Good bye for now, everyone."

Everyone could only stare as Eclipsa strode from the room. As soon as she was gone, the room erupted as the Queen and King ran to fetch the guard. Eclipsa should not have been able to leave her room, let alone make it down to the dining room. The human part of the group muttered among their selves.

The party ended after that and the guards came to speak with Marco. The party guests were escorted back to their home dimensions. Marco was then interrogated by the Captain of the Guard for the better part of an hour. He told them everything she said multiple times. By the time he was let go, he was exhausted.

"I didn't even get to say goodbye to Kelly." Marco muttered as he walked towards his room.

"Marco...I'm sorry." Star said from behind him. Marco turned around to see Star looking at him. She looked exhausted.

"Don't be, Star. I had a great time."

"Yeah, but the whole thing with Eclipsa...and I didn't know it was your birthday...and the guards... and...and..." Star said on the verge of tears. Marco walked over and gave her a hug.

"It was a great birthday. More than I deserve. Tell you what. We're both pretty tired from today. How about you make it up to me tomorrow by showing me how to work my new mirror?" Marco said with a smile. Star perked up at his words and enthusiastically hugged him back.

"Yes! I know just the ring tone for you! See you tomorrow, bestie!" She said before skipping off. Marco grinned wryly as he heard her sing the chorus to Space Unicorn.

Marco managed to get back to his room without and further interruptions. After hanging up his new hoodie and scarf in his closet, he dropped on to his bed. He needed to go to sleep, but he couldn't stop thing about Eclipsa's gift, the one thing he didn't tell the guards about.

She didn't say it out loud, but when Eclipsa's lips touched his cheek, he heard her voice and saw a picture in his minds eye. He saw a new hand sign and the name of a new spell.

He looked at his hands to make sure he didn't make the hand sign running through his head. He was certain it was one spell he didn't want to cast.

"Umbra."

* * *

Author's note: Aaaand there's Chapter 4! Quite a bit longer than the others, but this chapter's natural conclusion was the end of Marco's birthday party. It came in a bit short of 7k words making this chapter longer than my SVTFOE one shot, Washed Out!

I had the idea of Star throwing a surprise party for Marco since Lava Lake Beach so I was a little surprised with how Stump Day happened. A lot of people I've seen talking about Marco's birthday seemed to fall into two camps. The "Star forgot Marco's Party" camp and "They didn't say so we don't know" camp. I just can't believe that Star would forget Marco's birthday. My guess was that they had one, but it just wouldn't have been enough for it's own interesting episode. Even Star's birthday was more about the complications of Star's birthday falling on Stump Day and Marco being ignorant of Mewni culture.

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed Marco's Birthday arc!

From here on the chapters will focus more on Kelly and Marco's adventures together. Star will be in some parts, but I want this story to be more about the adventures Kelly and Marco go on when Star's busy with her other duties/activities.

Let me know what you think with a review!

* * *

 **Marco's Book of Spells:** (I'll be leaving this at the end of chapters with magic cast by Marco.)

 **Lumin** \- Creates a small ball of light. Duration and area of effect vary based on caster skill.

 **Umbra** \- (Mentioned) Effect is currently known only to Eclipsa and Marco.


	5. Invitation

Marco and Kelly vs. The Universe

As always, thanks to everyone who has read, reviewed, favorite/followed, or PMed me. I didn't think it would happen last chapter, but we crossed the 100 Review threshold! I can't believe that this has become my most popular story in just 4 chapters.

At this point I should warn you that chapters will likely becoming a little slower from here out. The first 4 chapters were built out of things I'd have liked to see in 3A. We diverge from here into uncharted territory which will take more creative effort on my part. That said, I have been developing a list of concepts for chapters so hopefully I'll be able to continue for awhile!

May the hiatus be short, and Season 3B be full of Kellyco!

*SPOILER ALERT*

This story takes place after the episode "Lava Lake Beach" and may contain spoilers up through "Stump Day". Don't forget to check out my other SVTFOE story "Washed Out" though you should be prepared for some feels if you do!

If you see any glaring spelling/grammatical errors, let me know in a PM. I'll be rereading this over the next few days for proofing. I'm still finding errors in other chapters and fixing them as I go along.

* * *

Chapter 5: Invitation

 _Castle Butterfly, Marco's room_

Marco fell back on to his bed, exhausted from his morning training session with Sir Lavabo and still a bit damp from his shower. In the weeks since his birthday, Sir Lavabo had stepped up his training with magic. He wasn't sure why, but a few hours of using magic put a greater strain on him than a full day of sword practice.

It took several days of practice after his birthday before he was able to reliably cast his light spell, Lumin, and maintain it for more than a few moments, but his efforts had been both rewarding and humbling. He could feel what ever it was that permitted him to cast magic growing stronger. That was when Sir Lavabo knocked his pride down more than a few notches. A week ago, Marco boldly strode into the Laundry Room and proclaimed his mastery of the light spell. Sir Lavabo asked him to demonstrate.

* * *

 _Castle Butterfly, Laundry Room_

 _One week earlier_

"Show me, my squire." Sir Lavabo said, amused, as he returned to the newly darkened room where he had left Marco. If pride hadn't caused Marco to be deaf to Sir Lavabo's tone, he'd have heard the lesson coming. "Show me your mastery of Lumin." Sir Lavabo said as he leaned against the wall next to the door, crossing his arms. Marco nodded and grinned cockily. Marco brought his hand up into the necessary hand sign.

" **Lumin!** " Marco called out. A ball of light came into existence in front of Marco's face, creating a pool of light that stretched out ten feet in every direction, but not quite reaching the walls of the room, nor Sit Lavabo himself.. Sir Lavabo clapped for Marco who was sporting a wide grin.

"Excellent! You have clearly mastered the basic form of this spell! Now bring the light here." Sir Lavabo said cheerfully. Marco's face suddenly fell.

"Uh...wha...what? Basic?" Marco asked, confused.

"I said well done, Squire Marco. Now bring the light here. We're going to go check the air pipes to the lint catcher to make sure lint is not building up. While you are at it, change the light into a cone with a 15° angle. Also, make it blue...wait, no...make it red. It'll be less likely to disturb the lint. We do not want a repeat of last week!" Sir Lavabo said with a laugh before clapping his hands together and turning as if to exit the room. Sir Lavabo turned to look back at the young man.

"What is wrong, Squire Marco?" Sir Lavabo said, a wide grin on his face. "You have mastered it, have you not?" The grin turned slightly manic. Marco groaned. He'd fallen into Sir Lavabo's trap. Hook, line, and sinker.

"I...guess I haven't mastered the spell...Sir Lavabo." Marco said, dejectedly. He'd just made his day a whole lot harder.

"Indeed? I am surprised, Squire Marco! Overconfidence is not becoming of a Squire of the Wash!" Sir Lavabo said with mock surprise in his voice.

"This is today's magic lesson, my squire. We have a limited selection of spells, this is true. But each spell has a wide variety of applications. A clever squire might be able to think of some while he is doing special chores today." Sir Lavabo said, more seriously.

Marco groaned again. 'Special Chores' was a code phrase for whatever unpleasant extra chore Sir Lavabo could come up with. They were often time consuming and more difficult than normal chores, which was saying something, given that they risked their lives on a daily basis.

"As it turns out, I have the perfect thing for today! The King has requested that the Knights of the Wash hand clean his undergarments. The kitchens served chili this week and he fears that the...stains...will not come out in the wash."

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooohohohohohooooo!" Marco screamed, falling to his knees and fists his hands towards the ceiling. Sir Lavabo walked over to Marco and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"When you are done being dramatic, my squire, remember to wear your gloves." Sir Lavabo said before turning on his heel and leaving the room, laughing all the while.

* * *

 _Marco's Room_

 _Present day_

Marco shuddered at the memory. He performed the chore reluctantly, fought a monster of unspeakable horror as a result, and came out emotionally and physically scarred. Sir Lavabo decided that Marco was too frequently injured and taught him a shielding spell as part reward for surviving and part apology.

One might think that would have been the low point of his week, but it wasn't.

The next day, Star dragged him to the Rich Pigeon Kingdom where he single-handedly caused a near catastrophic diplomatic incident. If Prince Richard Pigeon hadn't stepped in and forgiven Marco for breaking his leg, Marco, Star, and Pony Head would be dead and Mewni would be at war with the Rich Pigeon Kingdom.

Richard threw a feast to celebrate Star managing to convince every important heir-apparent in Mewni to sign the Petition of Friendship. Unfortunately, that feast consisted solely of worms. Live worms. Princess Pony Head was able to leave immediately, but Star couldn't, lest she offend her new, very scary, ally. And since Marco _had_ broken Richard's leg, he had to be extra polite. Which translated into eating several mouthfuls of worms.

Marco managed to hold it together just long enough to make it through a portal back to Castle Butterfly before he puked the disgusting meal back up.

One might think, _that_ was the low point of Marco's week. They would be wrong. Again.

Hekapoo had needed Marco's help tracking down rogue portals several nights in a row. Marco was eager to do so, despite the strain it put on his relationship with Star. He couldn't help himself, though. He craved the thrill of adventure that he hadn't had since coming to Mewni. When he was with Hekapoo, he felt alive. More than that, especially in his adult form, he felt like Hekapoo's partner in battle, rather than a sidekick as he often had been on his adventures with Star.

That, however, had been brought to a crashing halt when Hekapoo discovered he knew the source of the rogue portals. He had essentially been given a choice between Hekapoo and Star and he knew where his heart lay. He defended Star to Hekapoo and used his adult voice to bend Hekapoo to his whims. She agreed, but the price had been high. He could no longer go on adventures with Hekapoo.

Now _that_ had been the low point of his week. Without a regular source of adventure, he had thrown himself into the grind of training with Sir Lavabo and assisting Star with her princess duties as she needed him. This week had really run him down, but that was about to change!

Today was Thursday. Normally, that meant sparring with Kelly and Jorby, but today was different. Today was the Mewnian Fall Harvest Festival. Star had burst into his room the night before and excitedly informed him that he was going to be joining her and Tom at the Harvest Festival that year.

* * *

 _Marco's Room_

 _Last night_

Marco had just finished showering and was in his room drying his hair with a towel when he door suddenly exploded off the hinges, landing on his bed. Marco turned in time to see Star's foot extended before she marched in her room. Marco merely turned to face her, exasperated. It wasn't the first time she had kicked his door in after he had finished showering. If he didn't know better, he would have thought she was trying to get a peek at him. The first time she kicked his door down she cheerfully informed him that squires didn't have privacy from their knights.

"Staaaar. I'm trying to get my jam jams on! Can't you at least knock before kicking my door in?" He begged.

"Marco!" She said, looking him up and down, a grin to match her headband appearing briefly on her face, "Sorry, this couldn't wait! I nearly forgot to mention that tomorrow is the Harvest Festival!"

She launched into an explanation of the importance of the festival. Apparently, the festival coincided with the first time the Mewnian Queen had used magic.

The new Mewnian's first year in Mewni had been harsh. After arriving on Stump Day and nearly freezing to death, the settlers had difficulties developing farms in the unfamiliar lands. This was further exasperated by tensions with the local monster populace. With the coming of their second winter on Mewni, the Mewmen had exhausted their food supply and the corn they had planted just wouldn't grow. As the last days of fall waned, the Queen discovered a magical artifact that would go on to become the Royal Wand. The first spell she cast revitalized the failing crops and made them grow to full ripeness in moments. What's more, the corn was bigger and tastier than any corn they had eaten before.

To celebrate their ongoing survival, the first Harvest Festival was thrown in the Queen's honor. They celebrated the event each year as the queen's magic ensured that the Mewnians always had plentiful corn.

"Anyway, since you've never been to one before, we're taking the day off and going. You, me, and Tom! It's going to be sooo much fun!" Star yelled as she waved her arms around.

"I...don't know, Star. I don't want to be a third wheel on your guy's date." Marco said, rubbing his arm.

"Marco, it's not a..."

* * *

 _Star's Bedroom_

 _Last Week_

"Hey Star, will you go with me to the Harvest Festival?" Tom asked, presenting Star with a flaming rose.

"Sure!" Star said, snatching the rose from him.

"It's a date!"

* * *

 _Marco's Room_

 _Last Night_

"Okay fine, it's a date! That doesn't mean you can't go with us! You could invite...uhh..." Star began, before trailing off, her mind grasping for anyone to accompany Marco besides Kelly. The thought of the two spending time together at the festival made her...uncomfortable for some reason. "You could go with Pony..." Star said, brightening up as her mind latched on to the one person Marco probably wouldn't go with.

"What if I invite Kelly? We would have been sparring today anyway." Marco said, pulling out his mirror and dialing his green-haired friend's phone.

"Yeah. Great. Great." Star said with a forced smile.

"Hey Kelly! Yeah. Yeah. About tomorrow..." Marco said into the mirror. Star waited a few minutes for Marco to get off the phone before realizing that they'd be talking for awhile. She also couldn't help, but notice he hadn't bothered to put a shirt on before calling Kelly. His body was starting to show the results of his training with Sir Lavabo. She blushed as she recalled his adult body from Hekapoo's dimension, one possible future for the young man. She shook her head and took note of the scars too. They concerned her, but they looked old. She couldn't remember if he had them last year when she met him or not.

She shook her head again. She shouldn't be ogling her best friend's hot bod now that she had a boyfriend again. Especially since he didn't like her in the same way...probably.

"I'm just...gonna go." Star said letting herself out, but Marco didn't notice as he was laughing at something Kelly had said.

* * *

 _Marco's Room_

 _Present_

Marco sighed as he stretched on his bed. He felt a bit guilty for forgetting about Star the previous night, but he was always enthralled every time he called Kelly. They'd ended up talking late into the night and as a result he'd been tired again when it was time for training. Sir Lavabo had noted it, but was surprisingly understanding.

"Maybe I can get something for Star at the fair." Marco mused. They would probably have prizes or something that he could use to get her forgiveness.

Marco's mirror started beeping and he saw that his alarm was going off. It was time to get ready for the festival. He had to look nice for his date with Kell...

"HANGOUT! My hangout with Kelly. Geez. I need to get it together or she'll get the wrong idea."

Marco wasn't sure if he meant Kelly...or Star.

* * *

Author's note: Alright. Here's Chapter 5! As you may have seen in my post last week, I have been terribly ill. I got Flu Type A for Christmas and I can still feel the effects as I write this.

I had originally intended this chapter to cover the full Mewni Harvest Festival Arc, but I just couldn't get myself to stretch this next post out. I'm having a hard time focusing while I'm recovering.

That said, I wanted to start the year off right and give you guys a chapter today so I cut it off here!

I hope you all had a good Christmas for those that celebrate it and I hope the new year has greeted you well. May this one be better than the last!

* * *

 **Marco's Book of Spells:** (General opinion has been to list all known spells, so I added in the rest as of 1/2/2017)

 **Lumin** \- Creates a small ball of light. Duration, color, and area of effect vary based on caster skill.

 **Igni** \- (Mentioned) Creates a blast of fire. Power and area of effect vary based on skill of caster and their creativity.

 **Obic** \- (Mentioned, but not named) Creates a magical shield that can block physical and magical attacks. Defensive ability varies based on skill of caster. Enough force will overwhelm and collapse shield.

 **Umbra** \- (Mentioned) Effect is currently known only to Eclipsa and Marco.


	6. Apologies

Marco and Kelly vs. The Universe

As always, thanks to everyone who has read, reviewed, favorite/followed, or PMed me.

Also, thanks to everyone for the well wishes! I have conquered the flu, but now it's left me with bronchitis. Fortunately, all that means is I have a persistent cough. I'll take that over puking any day!

*SPOILER ALERT*

This story takes place after the episode "Lava Lake Beach" and may contain spoilers up through "Stump Day". Don't forget to check out my other SVTFOE story "Washed Out" though you should be prepared for some feels if you do!

If you see any glaring spelling/grammatical errors, let me know in a PM. I'll be rereading this over the next few days for proofing. I'm still finding errors in other chapters and fixing them as I go along.

* * *

Chapter 6: Apologies

 _ _Castle Butterfly, Marco's Room__

Marco licked his fingers before running them through his hair for the hundredth time, trying to get his hair just right. Every time, however, there always seemed to be a single hair that was ever so slightly out of place. He ran his fingers slowly along the front of his hair, right over the offending hair, slowly. Slowly...

"Perfect." Marco said satisfied, his hair perfectly coiffed. Marco slowly lowered his hands as he gazed upon the results of his handy work. His eyes trailed down to his bare chest and grimaced. He had several healed scars that crossed his body, but there was one that was still an angry red. He was still self-conscious about his scars, but surprisingly, Kelly had helped him feel better about them somewhat.

After Star had invited him to the Mewnian Harvest Festival the previous night, he called Kelly at Star's (sort of) suggestion to invite her along so he wouldn't be a third wheel to Star and Tom's date. He had forgotten to put his shirt back on after Star had ambushed him while putting his jam jams on. He didn't realize it until she commented on his scars about an hour after they started talking. He had been incredibly embarrassed, both by her seeing him shirtless and her seeing his scars.

* * *

 _ _The previous night__

"Sorry about that, Kelly." Marco had said as he pulled his night shirt on, "I know they're ugly to look at..." Marco looked away, ashamed. He couldn't believe he had forgotten to put his shirt on. Worse, he couldn't easily deflect with Kelly like he could with Star. Kelly could be incredibly stubborn when she wanted to know something.

"Marco. Look at me." Kelly demanded and with a straight face she continued, "Chicks dig scars. They make you look manly." Marco blushed at her words and a small grin spread across his face.

"So you think I look manly, huh?" Marco asked, a teasing note in his voice.

"Well...looks _can_ be deceiving." Kelly shot back, a blush and a grin spreading across her own face.

"Hey!" He yelled in mock anger, causing both of them to burst into laughter.

* * *

 _ _Present__

Marco picked up his favorite cologne and sprayed it on his wrists before giving it a sniff test. It wasn't something he needed to do, but it was part of his pre-date ritual. Marco sprayed his cologne in the air, closed his eyes, and began to walk forward when he realized the thought that had passed through his head. His eyes suddenly sprang open and the bottle in his hands fell to the ground, thankfully falling on to his discarded towel, rather than shattering on the floor.

"Gah. I gotta stop thinking of this like it's some kind of date!" Try as he might, the thought kept getting stuck in his head. He couldn't help it, though. He had so much fun with Kelly during their training sessions, and the way she blushed when they were...

"Mother of Karate...have we been flirting?!" Marco said, a look of pure horror spreading across his face. "But I've got a crush on...can you you even have a crush on two people? That's gotta be illegal...except maybe in Utah..." Marco muttered to himself while covering his face with his hands.

Surely he couldn't be developing a crush on Kelly. How could he even do that to her? She'd only just gotten out of her relationship with Tad...but that wasn't quite true. They'd broken up towards the end of the summer...and now it was the last day of the Mewnian fall. So it had been three...four months now?

"Maaan. Why does being a teenager have to be so confusing?" Marco said as he dragged his hands down his face, pulling his eyelids, cheeks, and jaw downward. Marco suddenly realized what he was doing and panicked as he spun towards the mirror. Marco nervously checked his hair, only to find he hadn't messed it up with a 'Marco Moment'.

Marco breathed a sigh of relief, before he went to his closet and retrieved his new button-down shirt.

Marco felt conflicted as he looked down on the solid 'hoodie-red' shirt. It had been a late birthday gift from Jackie. She had sent it to him along with a note explaining that she had bought it for his birthday before they had broken up. She said that she felt he should still have it and thought he'd look handsome in it. She went on talk a bit about life on earth without him and how his friends had been doing. At the end she had signed it with the same words she left him with on the pier.

 _'Stay amazing, okay?'_

Thankfully, he'd been alone in his room when he read the note. He had managed to hold it together on the pier after she left, but life had been rough since he had come to Mewni and he didn't think his pride could survive witnesses to him breaking down into tears. He really hadn't deserved her.

Marco sighed and steeled his resolve. For him, the shirt was another scar. A reminder of the mistakes that had cost him the relationship he'd wanted for much of his life. However, he had learned from Sir Lavabo that scars carried lessons. Wearing the shirt Jackie gave him would remind him not to make the same mistakes as he did when he dated her.

Marco threw the shirt over his shoulders, slid his arms through the sleeves, and buttoned the shirt up. Taking one last look in the mirror, Marco grinned confidently at himself. Jackie had been right. He did look handsome in the shirt.

Marco left his bathroom, grabbed his dimensional scissors off of the bed, and went to the door of his bedroom.

"Now as long as nothing messes up my hair, things will be perfect..." Marco said as he reached for the doorknob, before blanching. His Marco Senses began tingly a moment before his door exploded off the hinges and plowed into Marco, knocking him to the floor.

"MAAAAARCO! Are you ready to go?" Star said as she marched into the room, wand in hand. Marco groaned as he slid out from under the door, careful not to flip it over, lest the narwhal who's horn was stuck in the door got hurt. "Marco, what are you doing on the floor? It's time to go!" She said as she reached down and pulled him to his feet. Marco shot her an annoyed look as he dusted himself off.

"I was just about to come down, but _someone_ hit me with a door." Marco said pointedly. "MY HAIR!" Marco suddenly yelled as he ran back to the bathroom. "Staaaar! It took me an hour to get my hair just right!" Marco said as he desperately tried to fix his hair. Star followed him into the bathroom and surveyed the mess he had made.

"Daaang, Marco. I haven't seen you this worked up since your first date with Jaaaa...wait. You aren't going on a date with Kelly are you?" Star said, redirecting her train of thought before Marco could say anything about her bringing up Jackie. A sense of panic started welling up in her chest at the thought of Marco and Kelly going on a date.

Marco spun around, wide-eyed and blushing. "It's not a date, Star! We're just friends!" Marco whirled back around and tried splashing water into his hair.

"Whew. That's good." Star said with a sigh of relief. Marco turned to look at her again, cocking an eyebrow. "I-I mean. She just broke up with Tad for real, you know?" Star stuttered nervously. "She's not ready for a relationship now and I'm glad you guys are just friends and can support each other after your breakups!" Star said, sweat dripping down her face.

"Riiiight." Marco said, before returning to his hair.

'I don't know why, but I can't stand the thought of Marco and Kelly together. Maybe I can get her back together with Tad.' Star pondered as Marco slumped against the sink in defeat.

"Come on, Marco. We have to go. I have to be at the opening ceremonies and that means my squire has to be there as well!" Marco sighed and turned to look at Star. It was only then that he noticed she was wearing a set of light plate armor. In fact, it looked almost identical to the one she had worn to her first football game except the star on front had been replaced with an orange, yellow, and red butterfly.

"Uh...Star...why are you wearing armor?" Marco asked, suddenly concerned that he didn't know enough about the festival.

"Oh Marco, this is the traditional garb for Mewni's princess during the harvest festival. Now come on! We're going to be late! Your hair looks fine. Let's goooo!" She said, grabbing Marco's wrists and dragging him out of his bedroom and into the hallway.

"But I'm not ready!" Marco cried out in despair.

* * *

 _ _Village Green, Outside of Castle Butterfly__

"Now Star, you do understand that today is very important. This is your first public appearance as the Princess of Mewni since...the Toffee incident." Moon said quietly as she leaned over to speak to her daughter. Not all that long ago, Star would have sighed in annoyance and blown her mom off. Things had changed, however, since Star had returned to Mewni. As a result, Star nodded seriously to her mother.

Star, Moon, and River all sat on thrones upon a stage at the center of the Village Green, a gathering place for major public events for Castle Butterfly and the village that surrounded it. Nearly every person who lived within a few days of Mewni were in attendance for the event. Standing behind River and Moon were Royal Guardsmen in full armor, holding spears at the ready. Behind Star, however, was a nervous-looking Marco. Under normal circumstances, Star would also have a Royal Guard to protect her, cater to her needs, and keep her out of trouble. She had insisted, however, that Marco take the place of her normal guardsman. Given Star's recent dedication to her princess duties, and the fact that Marco had been training with Sir Lavabo, Queen Moon agreed to Star's request.

Unfortunately, Star had failed to mention that little detail to Marco before she pulled him up on stage and positioned him slightly behind and to her left. Had Marco known, he would have at least worn his armored hoodie, if not something more formal. Marco could only pray that he didn't sweat through his new shirt before the Festival officially started. Looking out into the crowd, Marco caught sight of a bush of green hair. Kelly waved at him from the crowd and though he couldn't wave back, he could feel himself calm down.

'Weird how just seeing her can calm me down...' Marco thought to himself, as he rubbed his sweaty palms on his jeans. A servant approached Marco with a gold embroidered light-blue pillow that held the princess's wand and offered it out to him.

"Give this to the princess at the appropriate time." The servant said as Marco took the pillow.

"When is..." Marco started, but the servant was already gone. Marco sighed and turned his attention back to Star and the crowd.

"I know, mom. I'm ready to show Mewni a new Princess today." Star said, a bit nervous herself. She wasn't sure how the public would react to her. Her last major event had been Song Day and she had Starred that up royally. Not only did she damage her friendship with Marco when Ruberiot revealed her crush, but the revelation that Glossaryck and her spellbook had been stolen had started a riot among the lesser nobles. Shortly thereafter, Toffee managed to take control of Castle Mewni using Ludo's body for several weeks. Tensions would be high today and Star needed to perform flawlessly if she was going to ease her people's fears.

"Good, you've prepare your speech?" Moon asked, a bit of skepticism tinging her voice. Even now, Star wasn't known for intensive preparations.

"I have, Mom." Star replied simply, drawing Moon's full attention away from the crowd milling around the stage. Moon gave Star an appraising look and found herself a bit surprised. Star looked nervous, but as serious as Moon had ever seen her. The effect was only slightly ruined by the battle armor she was wearing, but that was to be expected. Star only had a couple more years to participate in the Corn Maze event. Once she turned sixteen, she would no longer be able to participate in the event. A combination of her growing magic prowess and fear that she could be seriously injured during the event meant she would have to move on to assist her parents in overseeing the events of the Festival, instead of participating.

"I hope you're ready then." Moon said before standing up and walking to the front of the stage.

"Citizens of Mewni," Moon began, her voice magically amplified so that everyone in the crowd could hear her, "I am proud to announce the beginning of our annual Corn Harvest Festival! This has no doubt been a rough year. Many of us are still trying to rebuild our lives after the attack on our kingdom by Ludo." People in the crowd began muttering to each other at her words. The pain was still fresh and many wondered, though not openly, if the Butterfly Family was still worthy of ruling Mewni. The behavior of Princess Star over the past year had been especially concerning. She was nothing like Moon was when she was Star's age. Moon raised her hand to quiet the crowd.

"I understand. In a way, we failed you. We allowed Ludo and by extension Toffee to take Mewni. And for that I am sorry. However, you endured, as Mewmans do! When the first settlers arrived, harrowed by snow, we endured. When the monsters first attacked our ancestors, we endured. When they came and killed my mother and plunged us in to war, we endured! When our ancestors had no corn after their first year? We. Endured. More than that, we conquered! We settled these lands, drove off the monsters not once, but twice. My ancestor, the First Queen, discovered the Royal Wand and brought us unparalleled prosperity that we still enjoy today." At this Moon raised a fist towards the sky as the crowd listened with rapt attention.

"When Toffee came, we fled initially, yes. But my daughter, Princess Star Butterfly, your future queen came and destroyed him, a Septarian known as The Immortal Monster, once and for all. They call me Moon the Undaunted, but I say it is you, the People of Mewni, who are the undaunted." Suddenly the crowd broke out into a cheer. Moon basked in their cheers, pleased that she still held the respect of her people. After a moment, she raised her hand for silence.

"I thank you. It is now my great honor, in the Tradition passed down through the ages, to present Princess Star, who will officially begin the Annual Harvest Festival." Moon gestured to Star who rose to her feet, before returning to hers.

"Hi everyone..." Star began nervously, taking Moon's place at center stage. Her mother was an amazing orator and a tough act to follow. Every eye in the crowd was on her, judging the future queen. "Before we begin the festival, I just wanted to say I'm sorry. Up until now, I haven't been the best princess and that's...not easy for me to admit. I've caused trouble for both my parents and you, the people of Mewni." Star looked down and removed her helmet. "I didn't take my role as your princess seriously, and I made bad decisions at times to spite my mom. But this year has made me realize how important of a job I have as your princess. I can't say I won't make mistakes again, but I want you to know that I have dedicated myself to not just being a better princess, but to being the best princess I can be."

The crowd remained silent. Star's stomach fluttered at the quiet. She looked back at Marco who discreetly gave her a thumbs up. She took a deep breath and continued on _._

"This I vow. I will be the best princess and will do everything in my my power to make Mewni the most prosperous kingdom in this and any dimension!" Star bowed to the crowd, "Please forgive me."

The crowd remained silent for a heartbeat before erupting into applause.

"WE LOVE YOU PRINCESS STAR!"

"THERE'S NOTHING TO FORGIVE!"

"STAR BUTTERFLY RULES!"

A thousand more half-heard calls of praise, love, and forgiveness drifted out of the crowd and Star, head still bowed, began shuddering.

Star stood up straight and wiped tears from her eyes. Maybe it wasn't dignified for a princess to cry in public, but if they could forgive her past transgressions, then maybe they could forgive her tears of happiness. As her mother did, Star raised her hand for silence and the crowd hushed even more quickly than they did for Moon.

"Thank you everyone. Like my mom said, it's been a tough year. I want you all to take this day to celebrate all we've accomplished!" From behind Star, Marco approached and presented her wand to her. Star smiled at Marco and took the wand from him. Marco retreated back to his position as Star raised the wand above her head.

"With that, I declare that the Annual Mewnian Harvest Festival has begun!" Star's wand exploded with magic and filled the air with lights, sounds, and fireworks. The crowd roared their approval as Star returned to her seat.

"Well done, Star." Moon said quietly as she watched her daughter's magic fill the sky with beautiful colors and shapes.

"Thanks, mom. You ready to have some fun, Marco?" She asked, looking back at him.

"You bet." Marco said with a grin.

* * *

 ** **Marco's Book of Spells:****

 ** **Lumin**** \- Creates a small ball of light. Duration, color, and area of effect vary based on caster skill.

 ** **Igni**** \- (Mentioned) Creates a blast of fire. Power and area of effect vary based on skill of caster and their creativity.

 ** **Obic**** \- (Mentioned, but not named) Creates a magical shield that can block physical and magical attacks. Defensive ability varies based on skill of caster. Enough force will overwhelm and collapse shield.

 ** **Umbra**** \- (Mentioned) Effect is currently known only to Eclipsa and Marco.

* * *

Author's Notes:

There you have it! Chapter 6 of MKVU! I hope you all enjoyed it! I know this took a bit longer that the earlier chapters (thought not a long at the last one), but the up side is that I have had plenty of time to think of things for the story.

I've been considering whether or not to address certain concerns that come up in reviews about how the story will play out, but ultimately I've decided to keep them to myself for now. I ask you all to trust in me as the author that I will do my best to bring you a good story.

I haven't given Kelly as much screen time as I've wanted to so far, but I've been doing a lot of world building to set up this story how I want it. That said, I hope the payout will be worth it because I really want to tell the story of Marco and Kelly's adventures, which was the main premise of this story in the first place.

Until next time!


	7. Alone Together

Marco and Kelly vs. The Universe

As always, thanks to everyone who has read, reviewed, favorite/followed, or PMed me.

*SPOILER ALERT*

This story takes place after the episode "Lava Lake Beach" and may contain spoilers up through "Stump Day". Don't forget to check out my other SVTFOE story "Washed Out" though you should be prepared for some feels if you do!

I did want to address a quick question someone had brought up, since not everyone has done obsessive research in order to write a fan fiction. I wanted to mention something that I consider canon for the purpose of this story. Some time ago, they did a Marco Live Chat on YouTube. Someone had asked a question about Marco's time in Hekapoo's dimension and he responded that the time spent there was like a dream to him and the memories had become fuzzy. That's why he didn't have all the badass skills he did as an adult. I've carried that reasoning over into my story.

Marco's skill with swords will improve more quickly as a result of his time with Hekapoo, but as of the beginning of this story, he's still a novice. If he goes back to her Dimension, he'll regain his memories and skill, but would begin to lose them again upon leaving. To otherwise leave him as a 31 year old in a 15 year old's body would be creepy given that he's paired with just about everyone and everything in the series.

If you see any glaring spelling/grammatical errors, let me know in a PM. I'll be rereading this over the next few days for proofing. I'm still finding errors in other chapters and fixing them as I go along. Shoutout to Mr. Haziq for catching the weird italics FF threw in there!

* * *

Chapter 7: Alone Together

 _ _Village Green, Outside Castle Butterfly__

"Well done, Star." Moon said quietly as she watched her daughter's magic fill the sky with beautiful colors and shapes.

"Thanks, mom. You ready to have some fun, Marco?" Star asked, looking back at her Squire.

"You bet." Marco said with a grin. Star grinned back at him and took his hand in hers before she heard her mom clear her throat to catch her attention. Star turned to look at her mother in confusion.

"I'm sorry, Star, but you won't be able to join him just yet." Moon said, her voice tinged with regret, "Your father and will be needing your help preparing the events of the festival. You're getting older and so you need to start shouldering more of the responsibility."

"But...but..." Star stuttered in stunned disbelief before turning to look at Marco's own dejected look. She'd been looking forward to showing Marco around his first Corn Festival. She'd had everything planned out for the two of them from bobbing for cobs to the corn eating contest to the corn maze!

'And Tom, of course! And... _ _Kelly'__ Star thought, as the wheels in her head started to turn. She couldn't shirk her responsibilities...but maybe she could stop Marco and Kelly from hanging out. Deliberately ignoring the implications of her last thought, Star spun back to face her mom, who looked like she was about to chastise her.

"I understand, Mom! Marco and I are ready to do anything you need us to." Star said with a slightly too-wide grin, causing Moon to blink in surprise. Moon had been prepared for some push back from Star, despite her speech about being a better princess. Perhaps her daughter had grown up some after all. Moon started to accept Star's offer when she noticed that she was still holding Marco's hand. Something would have to be done about that.

"Star, it's Marco's first Corn Festival." Moon said as she walked over to the pair and gently removed Marco's hand from Star's. "Why don't you let Marco explore on his own for a bit?"

"But he's my squire! It's only natural for him to accompany me during the festival! To...protect me...and help me with my tasks!" Star said, reaching for any excuse she could to keep Marco nearby. Moon frowned at her daughter.

"Star, it'll be fine. Sir Archibald is perfectly capable of protecting the both of us and what we're going to be doing is magical in nature. Marco's experience under Sir Lavabo isn't enough to help us with that. Look, Star. It'll only be for a little while. Once we're done, you can spend the rest of the Festival with Tom and Marco." Moon said as she began guiding Star away. "You'll be alright on your own, right Marco?" Moon shot Marco a questioning look that said he'd better give her the answer she wanted.

"I...yes, Queen Moon." Marco said stiffly, giving the Queen an earth salute.

"I don't know what you're doing there, but go have fun. Star will join you in awhile." Moon replied as she and Star left. Star shot Marco a dismayed look over her shoulder, but otherwise followed Moon's lead. Marco waved at her as she left.

"Now what am I going to do?" Marco mumbled to himself. He looked to the front of the stage and saw that the crowd had dispersed into the village green, leaving him alone.

"Well, you've always got me!" A familiar voice suddenly said, as something grabbed his sides. Marco yelped, jumped away and landed in his favored karate stance, prepared to defend himself.

"I mean, this is a weird place to dance, but we can if you want." Kelly said with a grin.

"Kelly? Kelly!" Marco said as he relaxed and walked back over to her. "You about gave me a heart attack!" Marco said, grinning despite the sudden scare. Marco noted that Kelly wasn't wearing her usual outfit, but had a light sweater on instead. This one had three stripes with the top one being white, the middle one being orange, and the bottom one was yellow.

"Well if I did, you wouldn't have to worry. I know CPR." Kelly said with a flirtatious smile causing Marco to blush in surprise. Kelly laughed at his reaction before giving him a hug. "It's been awhile!"

"Kelly, it's been like a week. We sparred last Thursday!" Marco said, but hugged her back anyway.

"We've sparred, but we haven't hung out!" Kelly said defensively, "There's a difference."

Marco started to reply, but then took Kelly by the shoulders and held her out at arms length.

"Kelly, are you wearing armor and why are you dressed like a candy corn?" Marco asked, suddenly concerned.

"Well, yeah. I was going to ask why you weren't, but...wait candy corn?" Kelly asked, suddenly confused. She puller her sweater up slightly, revealing a chain mail shirt underneath.

"Hold on, my question first, armor?" Marco asked, with concern.

"It's traditional for the Mewnian Corn Festival. I'm surprised Star let you come unarmored, though the shirt does make you look handsome. Now, candy corn?" Marco sighed, she hadn't really answered his question, but she wasn't going to until he answered hers. At least she liked his new shirt.

"Candy corn is an earth candy that's shaped like a corn kernel. They color it like your sweater." Marco said, scratching the back of his head.

"Could...you get me some?" Kelly asked, practically vibrating with excitement. Marco gave her a resigned smile. There was no way he could refuse her under normal conditions, let alone her acting as cute as she was.

"Sure. Just give me a second." Marco pulled out his scissors and opened a portal back to earth. He hesitated a moment before going in. It would be his first time back to earth since he left.

"You OK, Marco?" Kelly asked as she watched him hesitate in front of the portal.

"Yeah, I just haven't been back to Earth since I left. It's weird." Marco said, staring at the whirling blue light that marked portals to his home dimension.

"You don't have to go, Marco. It's fine." Kelly said, grabbing his elbow to lead him away from the portal that had mesmerized him. Marco's gaze suddenly snapped away from the portal back to Kelly. Seeing the concern on her face, he took his arm back from her, slapped his cheeks twice, and marched through the portal. Moments later, he came back through the portal, bag of candy corn in hand. Marco handed the bag to Kelly, before sighing in relief. She quickly opened the bag as Marco turned around to close the portal.

"Well, that wasn't so bad. I kinda expected things to have changed, but it was the same old Echo Creek. It makes sense I guess, I've only been gone a few months, but I thought something might have changed with me being gone. We were lucky though. That was the last bag. I'm surprised they had any...after..." Marco said, trailing off as he turned back to face Kelly. Kelly was licking the inside of the empty bag.

"I guess you enjoyed them." Marco said as he looked as her in disbelief. He'd only turned his back for a moment and she'd downed the whole bag.

"Oh my Mewni, I'm so sorry Marco. I just couldn't help myself. They were so good!" Kelly said, ashamed.

"It's...it's alright. I don't even really like candy corn. You just reminded me of them." Marco replied, trying to ease her conscience. She looked at him like he had grown a second head.

"But they're so good! And they're corn shaped! They don't taste like corn though..." Kelly said, the sugar causing her to act a bit spastic as she waved the empty bag at Marco.

"Well, no, but they are made with corn syrup!" Marco replied, warding off Kelly's hands.

'Note to self, don't let Kelly have too much sugar...' Marco thought, as she flipped the bag right-side-out and began to read the ingredients. Marco snatched the bag from her hands, opened a portal, tossed it through.

"Hey!" Kelly yelled, dismayed that the divine secrets of candy corn had been stolen from her.

"Come on, let's go see the Festival! You really need to work off some of that excess energy..." Marco said, taking Kelly by the hand. The sudden intimate contact allowed Kelly to break free of her reverie. She still felt jittery, but she was back in the driver's seat.

"Yeah. You're right. Some of the events cost money though, how much cash do you have on you?" Kelly asked. Marco's heart twinged at the familiar words, but he pulled out his corn-purse and checked.

"I keep most of it locked up in my room, but I've got...one Gold Bushel, six Silver Cobs, and like 5 Copper Kernels." Marco said as he rummaged through the purse. Marco looked up to see a dumbfounded Kelly.

"Marco! How did you get that much cash? I only brought a cob's worth!" Kelly exclaimed.

"Is that a lot? Star hasn't really explained the currency system here. Actually, she hasn't really explained a lot since I arrived. I guess the royal family pays me about 10 bushels each month for being Star's squire..." Marco said, trailing off.

"Well. I _was_ going to treat you today, but it looks like corn dogs are on you today!" Kelly replied with a devious grin.

"They have corn dogs on Mewni?" Marco asked, suddenly excited. It had been awhile since he had any earth food.

"Yeah! Roy's truck is parked on the other side of the village green. He only makes corn dogs for the Harvest Festival!" Kelly responded, causing Marco to stare wide-eyed at her. Marco suddenly took Kelly's hand and sprinted off in the direction he assumed the Goblin Dog truck was parked.

A few minutes later, a pillar of fire erupted on the stage and a figure dressed in plate male with spikes protruding from just about everywhere stepped out and onto the stage. The armor glowed a dull red for a few moments before cooling to reveal it was pitch black. A wicked-looking sword with a wavy blade was strapped to their side and it seemed to be made from the same dark metal as the armor. The figure slowly turned around, first observing the empty stage, then looking out towards the booths and tents that made up the festival. They could see people playing games, laughing, and buying food and merchandise, but none of them had noticed the black-clad warrior arrive.

The figure suddenly slumped in disappointment. He unclasped the strap that kept his helmet on and removed it so that he could speak unobstructed.

"Star? Marco? Where are you guys? I'm not too late for the opening ceremony am I?" Tom called out, scratching his head in confusion.

* * *

 _ _Mewnian Corn Festival__

"Alright! What should we do next, Marco?" Kelly asked, once they'd finished eating Roy's special Goblin Corn dogs. It had been surprisingly easy to get one, compared with the usual trouble Roy put them through. Apparently, the festival brought out Roy's generosity as they only had to sit in line for a few minutes and dodge a few t-shirts fired at them from a t-shirt cannon before being allowed to buy one. The pair slowly strolled through the aisles of booths taking in the variety of stalls and games to choose from.

"I'm not sure," Marco replied, before burping. The Goblin Corn dogs had been even better than the original goblin dogs and they'd spent the better part of an hour spaced out in bliss after eating one. Even Kelly, who could down several of the originals before falling prey to the magical delight. Marco looked around and saw many different kinds of booths. Food vendors were selling a variety of corn based products from bacon-wrapped corn to cornbread. Other vendors were selling a variety of toys. Marco stopped by one and found that it had a Special Corn Festival Edition Princess Turdina doll wearing Dia de los Muertos themed armor.

"I'm going to have to call my agent. I don't remember authorizing this." Marco muttered, turning it over to inspect it. "'Real sword swinging action', huh."

Kelly rolled her eyes and smiled, before pulling him away. The smile widened further as she suddenly realized that she really did have Marco to herself for once. No Star, no Tom, no Ponyhead. Even Jorby wasn't around today. A rare treat, getting to walk around with Marco, hand in hand. Kelly's eyes suddenly widened.

'When did that happen?' She thought as she looked down at their intertwined hands. Marco hadn't even noticed. Her face suddenly burned as her blood rushed to her face. That had been happening a lot lately...

"You OK?" Marco asked suddenly, "Your face is a little red. You aren't overheating are you?" Kelly shook her head and looked around for a distraction.

"I'm fine! Look over there!" Kelly pointed towards a booth. Marco's gaze followed her hand, settling on a booth that appeared to be manned by a member of the Johansen clan. Kelly suddenly ran over to the booth, dragging Marco along behind her. The booth consisted of a huge wooden wall with red circular targets painted in multiple spots. The front of the booth was a long table that stretched down the length of the booth and was set about fifteen feet in front of the target wall. As they approached, the Johansen clansman turned around to face them with a huge grin on his face.

"AH HA HA HAAA! Well if it isn't my favorite niece's squire! How are you, Marco!" The man bellowed heartily as he reached out and grabbed Marco in a bear hug. Marco groaned a bit, but hugged him back. The Johansens were an affection lot and if you didn't give as good as you got, you'd get a broken spine.

"Hey there, Uncle Slab! I didn't know you'd be here!" Marco said with a grin as he released the man. Slab Johansen was a huge bear of a man, though of average size for the Johansen Family. His most distinguishing feature was that he had a huge bushy brown beard that obscured most of his body. Like his brother Grunt, he was bald, though he liked to say that was because he pulled his hair down to his beard to make it more glorious.

They'd met during the Butterfly-Johansen Family reunion after Marco won the Game of Flags. Slab had immediately taken to Marco, impressed with his victory, and insisted Marco was already one of the family and should call him Uncle. Apparently, there had been a misunderstanding where both families thought Marco was Star's boyfriend and Slab thoroughly supported 'Starco'. Why else would Marco have been invited to the family reunion after all? That was also when Slab nearly broke Marco's spine with his first Johansen hug.

"Seems you've put on some muscle since Flag Day! We wouldn't miss the Corn Festival for anything! The corn maze is just another opportunity for us Johansens to show those Butterflies that we're the superior clan! Both families have found the Mewnicorn five times in the last 19 years and this will be the year we pull ahead!" Slab suddenly gave Marco an appraising look. "Though, I'd say if you're in the running, we'll have our work cut out for us! HAHAHAAA!" Slab laughed again, though he left Marco confused.

"Mewnicorn?" Marco whispered to Kelly.

"I'll tell you later." She replied simply.

"And who is this little girl?" Slab said as he turned his attention to Kelly. "You aren't going around behind Star's back, are you boy?" Slab growled as he noticed the pair holding hands. Marco swiftly released Kelly's hand, and stepped away from her.

"We are just... just friends, Uncle Slab! This is Kelly!" Marco said, waving his hands in denial.

"Is that so? What do you have to say about it, little lady?" Uncle Slab asked menacingly. Unlike Marco, however, Kelly was not intimidated.

"First of all, Baldy, it's Kelly. Not little lady. Not little girl." Kelly said defiantly. She then reached over the counter, grabbed a hunk of the surprised Slab's beard and pulled him down, eye-level with her. "And second, Star is dating Tom. So who Marco dates is no one's business, but his own. Now apologize, or I'll feed you your own beard."

Slab stared wide-eyed at Kelly for a couple of moments until she gave his beard a yank. This caused Slab to burst out into laughter.

"BWAHAHAHAHA! Well now! I wasn't expecting that! Got a fire in her belly, this one." Slab said with an amused glance at Marco. "You are right, of course, Miss Kelly. It slipped my mind that my niece was dating the underworld boy, though I imagine it will be a short lived relationship. My apologies, Marco, and to you, Miss Kelly." Kelly stared at him for a moment, trying to sense any mockery in the man's tone. Sensing none, she released the man's beard and he stood up laughing.

"Part of me wants to say that if you haven't claimed her yet, Marco, then you shouldn't wait around too long. She's a keeper! The other part of me says, don't break my nieces heart...or I'll break your leg! HAHAHAA! Now, are you here to try your hand at throwing weapons?" Slab said jovially, suddenly lifting a hatchet from under his table.

"We're just...wait throwing weapons? Is that what your booth is?" Marco said, suddenly distracted from Slab's implication.

"Aye! We've got throwing axes, throwing knives, throwing swords, throwing rocks, throwing hammers, throwing corn cobs, throwing spears, throwing daggers, throwing boulders, throwing clubs, throwing chairs, and well, just about throwing anything! You can even throw me, if you think you can! HAHA! If you manage to hit three warnicornseyes, you get a handcrafted Johansen weapon! Finest weapons in all of Mewni!"

Marco looked over at Kelly. Throwing weapons weren't really his specialty, but he kinda wanted to impress Kelly too. He could remember messing up with Jackie at the throwing ball booth at Echo Creek Pier, but throwing weapons at a huge target should be easier, right?

"Alright! How about we each try!" Kelly suddenly said tauntingly. "Whoever gets the lowest score pays for the rest of the day!"

"But I already paid for the corn dogs!" Marco protested, but only slightly. Truthfully, he didn't mind paying for his friends.

"You're going to pay for the rest too! How much to play?" Kelly said, despite Marco's protest.

"One kernel for three throws! And to make it more interesting, the winner will get their choice of weapon!" Slab said with a grin. He loved a good competition and with something real at stake, they'd try much harder! Kelly reached into her hair, pulled out a kernel, and slammed it down on the table.

"Knives for me please!"

"I'll take knives too, I guess." Marco said uneasily, pulling a kernel out of his corn-purse.

Slab scooped up their coins and pulled out two sets of throwing knives.

"Rules are simple. Outer ring is one point, second ring is two, third ring is three, and a warnicornseyes is worth ten. Anything else is 0 points! Miss Kelly will go first!" Slab explained. Kelly stepped up to the table and picked up all three of her knives. Holding one in her hand, she carefully examined it, testing the weight and balance of the blade. Slab stepped off to the side to give Kelly a clear range and nodded to her.

Kelly took one of the knives by the blade, lifted it behind her head, breathed in, and out. Her hand flashed forward and hurled the blade at her target. The knife whizzed through the air and struck the second ring. Frowning, she shifted another knife into her hand and rechecked the balance. Nodding to herself, she repeated her motions. This time, the blade whirled forward and struck the target a hair outside of the warnicornseye. She growled a bit as she took the final knife into her throwing hand. Before she threw, she licked her finger and checked the wind. Shifting her stance slightly, she reached back and flung her final blade, striking the target dead-center.

"HAHA! Well done! Fifteen points for the young lady!" Slab laughed as Kelly let out a cheer.

"Beat that, Marco!" Kelly said, with an evil grin. "Oooh, I can't wait to try all the festival foods!"

Marco suddenly began to sweat. He suddenly wasn't so sure he could win. Nervously, Marco switched places with Kelly and picked up one of the knives on the table. Seeing Marco's nervousness, Slab stepped a bit further away from the target than he had with Kelly. Just in case.

It was heavier than he expected, especially the handle. He tried to copy Kelly's earlier actions prior to her throws, but he honestly didn't know what he was doing. He took the knife by the blade, lifted it up to his ear as Kelly did, and threw it as hard as he could at the target. Unfortunately, his aim was way off and it struck the ground in front of the target. Kelly covered up a snort of laughter, trying to play it off as a cough. Slab, however, let out a huge guffaw and slapped his knee.

Embarrassed, but determined, grabbed the second knife off the table. This time he didn't bother trying to check anything, it hadn't helped the first time, after all. With a grunt of effort, he let the blade fly, closing his eyes as the blade left his hand. The blade struck the target with and audible 'thunk' and Kelly gasped.

"Whoa, Marco!" Kelly said, slightly impressed. Marco opened his eyes and saw his blade had hit the warnicornseye.

"See, I can do it!" Marco said with a whoop, though no one had said he couldn't.

"Aye, well the next one will show us the truth. Skill or beginners luck!" Uncle Slab teased, crossing his arms as he leaned against the wall, perhaps the first throw had been a fluke after all. Marco brushed the words off as his success filled him with confidence.

Marco picked up his last blade. He'd have to get a bulls-eye...warnicornseye...in order to beat Kelly. He did it once, though. He could do it again. Lifting the blade behind his ear, Marco screwed his eyes shut and once again chucked the blade with all his might.

'Thunk'

"GAAAAH!" Slab suddenly cried out. Kelly gasped again and Marco jerked his head up, opening his eyes.

Slab was crouching slightly, gripping the blade embedded in his leg.

"OOHHHHOHOHOHO! It's in the bone! It's in the bone! It's in. The. Bone!" Slab cried out as he fell onto his back.

Marco screamed, vaulted the table, and ran over to the man as he writhed on the ground, Kelly right on his tail. Marco and Kelly dropped to their knees next to Slab and lifted his head up slightly.

"Oh my Karate! I'm so sorry Uncle Slab." Marco said, panicking, "IS THERE A DOCTOR NEARBY?" They couldn't see the wound as the man's beard hid all but the handle of the knife.

Slab moaned for a second before he started sputtering. His sputtering turned to snorting and from there into out right laughter.

"BWAHAHAHAHA! I knew it was beginner's luck!" Slab laughed, sitting up. The knife was still protruding from under the beard, causing Marco to go wide-eye.

"Uncle Slab! Your leg!" Marco said, his voice rising a few octaves. Slab shifted his beard around to reveal the blade had pierced his leg to the hilt, but there was no blood.

"I was pulling yer leg, my boy! My leg's made of wood! HAHAHA!" Slab laughed, tearing the blade free. "Though you did ruin my fancy trousers..." Slab flipped the blade handle in the air and caught it, the pointy end aimed at Marco's face. "That said, don't take your eyes off the target. Someone's liable to get hurt." He said, deathly serious.

"Y-y-yes sir, Uncle Slab, sir!" Marco stuttered, falling back away from the blade. Kelly groaned and helped Marco up to his feet, while Slab got up on his own.

"Have you never thrown weapons before, Marco?" Kelly questioned.

"Not...exactly..." Marco said sheepishly.

"Ugh. I should be mad, but I'm glad no one got hurt. I should have asked you before pushing you into it. I'm sorry, Marco." Kelly said, looking down.

"No. It's my fault, Kelly. I should have known better. Sir Lavabo taught me not to overestimate my abilities, but...I kinda wanted to impress you." Marco said, shyly.

"You wanted to..." Kelly said softly, before Slab coughed to get their attention. Marco and Kelly spun towards him, surprised.

"If you guys are going to start smoochin', you'll have to take it elsewhere." Slab said with a grin, causing Marco and Kelly's face to catch fire.

"IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!" They both denied at the same time.

"Well then, as promised, come take your pick, Miss Kelly." Slab said, gesturing behind the booth. The trio walked to the back of Slab's booth and found an assortment of weapons lined up on racks. Slab had brought a variety of weapons for contestants to choose from. She carefully looked them over with an experienced eye. As she had with the throwing knives, she picked each weapon up and checked them over. Weight, balance, edge, and so on, before returning them to their rack. When she came across a great sword, she spent extra time examining it, and even took a few practice swings with it. A grimace crossed her face as she placed it back on the rack, as though it pained her to let such a fine weapon leave her hand.

Finally, Kelly picked up a simple long sword with a red wrapped hilt and a simple black sheath. She gave it a simple look over before flipping it over and offering it to Marco.

"What do you think of this one?" She asked. Marco took it from her carefully. Unlike with the knives, Marco knew what to look for in a sword. Marco closed his eyes and listened to his senses as he tested the balance of the blade. Once he was satisfied, he opened his eyes and ran through a couple of drills that Sir Lavabo had taught him, before turning back to Slab and Kelly.

"This is a really good sword." He said, before handing it back to Kelly.

"Of course it is! It's a Johansen blade!" Slab said proudly. Kelly nodded as she returned the sword to the sheath.

"We'll take it." She said with a smile, before handing it over to Marco.

"Why are you giving this to me? I thought you'd want to take the great sword?" Marco asked, holding the blade back out to her.

"I never properly thanked you for your help back at Lava Lake Beach." Kelly said with a small smile, pushing the blade back to Marco.

"You don't have to. We're friends! Besides, you showed me that spot remember?" Marco said, once again offering her the blade. Kelly shook her head. She pushed the blade back to Marco and took his hand, leading him back towards the main aisle. Marco looked down and blushed, but said nothing.

"Thanks Slab!" Kelly said, waving cheerfully to the generous Johansen.

"You're welcome back anytime, Miss Kelly." Slab said as he waved them off. "Take care of her, Marco! The sword and the girl!"

"I want to thank you anyway. You really helped me move on from...well. You know. Besides, I have a feeling you'll need it today." She said mysteriously.

"Whaaat does that mean." Marco said, the concern he'd felt that day growing a bit more. Kelly simply smiled in return.

"Come on, let's go see what else the festival has to offer." Kelly said and pulled him away from Slab's booth.

* * *

 ** **Marco's Book of Spells:****

 ** **Lumin**** \- Creates a small ball of light. Duration, color, and area of effect vary based on caster skill.

 ** **Igni**** \- (Mentioned) Creates a blast of fire. Power and area of effect vary based on skill of caster and their creativity.

 ** **Obic**** \- (Mentioned, but not named) Creates a magical shield that can block physical and magical attacks. Defensive ability varies based on skill of caster. Enough force will overwhelm and collapse shield.

 ** **Umbra**** \- (Mentioned) Effect is currently known only to Eclipsa and Marco.

* * *

Author's Notes:

There you have it! Chapter 7 of MKVU! With plenty of Kellco!

First up: I want to give a shout out to Jack Coffison who is an excellent writer! He's got his own take on the aftermath of Marco coming to Mewni in his story My Dinner with Buff Frog and the follow-up Marcocrushed. He's done a great job with it and if you like long chapters, he's your man! His chapters come in at about 25k words a piece! If you want to read a good story about friendship and comfort, you should really check his stuff out.

Next: The only excuse I have for the delay this time is that Monster Hunter World has absolutely consumed my life. I had to tear myself away from it to write this chapter and it was super hard!

In case you were curious, The currency system is as follows: 1 Mewnium Field=10 Gold Bushels=100 Silver Cobs=1,000 Copper Kernels=10,000 Iron Husks= Approximately $10,000 USD. Because Marco is Star's personal squire, he's actually paid about as much as a full Knight, despite being a squire.

Hope you guys enjoyed the Chapter!

Until next time!

EDIT- 2/19/2018: Did some minor editing and added a bit to a couple sections.


	8. Tell That Higgs She Just Made My List

Marco and Kelly vs. The Universe

As always, thanks to everyone who has read, reviewed, favorite/followed, or PMed me.

*SPOILER ALERT*

This story takes place after the episode "Lava Lake Beach" and may contain spoilers up through "Stump Day". Don't forget to check out my other SVTFOE story "Washed Out" though you should be prepared for some feels if you do!

I was editing Chapter 7 when I noticed I didn't say what Kelly's armor was. I've added a section in to describe it, but for those who don't want to re-read, she is wearing a chain mail shirt under her sweater.

If you see any glaring spelling/grammatical errors, let me know in a PM. I'll be rereading this over the next few days for proofing. I'm still finding errors in other chapters and fixing them as I go along. Fanficdotnet apparently likes to italicize everything. Thanks for the heads up Mr. Haziq.

* * *

Chapter 8: Tell That Higgs She Just Made My List Of Things To Do Today

 _ _Village Green, Outside Castle Butterfly__

Marco and Kelly spent the rest of the morning trying out the different foods offered by the various vendors, looking through handcrafted wares, and trying their hand at the games of skill. On Marco's dime, of course.

It became readily apparent to Kelly that Marco was not one for games that involved throwing things, but he did have a quick eye and a quick hand. Marco had been terrible at dart toss, corn hole, and the dunk tank, the last of which had been manned by King River himself. River laughed heartily at Marco's attempts to drop him into the swamp water in the tank below him, but ended up drenched and sputtering thanks to Kelly's pinpoint accuracy. He'd made up for it at the new whack-a-rat game, and the shell game booths, however. His quick hands allowed him to quickly rack up points as he knocked the rats that popped up out of the machine around and he was always able to locate the corn kernel, despite the vendor's best attempts at hustling him.

The pair ended up having a ton of fun as they amassed quite a few prizes between the two of them, all of which were conveniently stored away in Kelly's pocket dimension.

"What should we do next? " Marco asked as he approached Kelly, holding a pair of corn shakes, "It seems like we've done nearly everything the festival has to offer."

Kelly made a thoughtful sound as she took her shake and the pair began to walk around.

"Well...the corn maze isn't until this afternoon...we could go check out the corncob eating contest?"

"You gonna compete?" Marco asked, looking sideways at his friend. They'd consumed a ton of food, and Marco's stomach felt like it was read to bust. Kelly, on the other hand, didn't appear fazed in the least bit and kept asking Marco to buy different foods for them to try and insisted they each get their own portion, even when Marco offered to share. It wasn't the first time he noticed she could put away food like no other and he was beginning to suspect she had a second pocket dimension in her stomach. Kelly shot him a look and blushed.

"No...I...I couldn't." Kelly said, tossing her now empty cup into a nearby trash can. "I mean, we've already eaten so much..."

"Come on, Kelly! It'll be fun to try right? I'll even cheer you on!" Marco said with a grin.

"Marco..." Kelly began.

"YOU TWO!" Someone suddenly shouted causing the pair to jump. Spinning around, they saw an elderly lady wearing dark robes and a pointed hat with an eye sewn into it waving them over to a tent she was standing in. Marco and Kelly exchanged a look, before heading over to see what the woman wanted. The pair began to greet her, but she swiftly interrupted.

"Yes...yes. I can see it now, a fortune telling is in your future! You have questions that need answering!" She said in a shrill voice, before cackling.

"No thanks! We'll just be on our way!" Marco said. He tried to turn on his heel, but Kelly grabbed his arm and pulled him back. Kelly started to say something, but the psychic spoke first.

"Come now," the woman said, gesturing to her tent, "Surely you're curious about the future? Fame? Fortune?" The woman glanced at Kelly holding Marco's arm. "Loooove? Inside, inside!" She said as she entered the tent with a dramatic sweep, leaving the blushing pair outside.

"Come on, Kelly. Let's head to that corn contest." Marco said, as he turned to leave again, but Kelly stood fast.

"Oh, come on, Marco. It could be fun!" Kelly said with a smile.

"It isn't real! She can't really see the future. She's just trying to scam us out of some money." Marco said, rolling his eyes.

"That's not the point! We're at a festival, and it's not like you're hurting for cash, dude." Kelly said, slightly annoyed. "Please?" Marco resisted for exactly three seconds before giving in.

"Fine. Let's go."

"Alright!" Kelly said, before she dragged Marco into the tent.

* * *

 _The Psychic's Tent_

Marco was unimpressed as he entered the tent. It had typical psychic decor, including images of palms, eyes, palms with eyes, a triangle with a bow tie and an eye, stars, stars with eyes. It wasn't a very large tent, however, and it was dimly lit. In the center sat a table with two chairs on one side and a single chair on the other. A crystal ball sat in the middle of the table. The psychic was already seated opposite the two chairs and was gazing into the crystal ball. She gestured for the two to sit.

"Oooh. A crystal ball. Gonna read our future with that?" Marco said, mockingly, but Kelly suddenly elbowed him in the ribs.

"Don't be rude, man. What's up with you?" Kelly whispered with a glare.

"Sorry. Sorry. Bad experience with fortunes." Marco whispered back. Kelly looked over at the elderly lady who was muttering as she looked into the crystal ball.

"I guess it's __fortunate__ that she didn't seem to notice." Kelly said with a sly grin, drawing a groan from Marco.

"AH HAH!" The psychic suddenly yelled, startling the teens, before throwing the orb behind her where it shattered on the ground.

"What the heck!" Kelly and Marco yelled at the same time, jumping out of their seats.

"I thought you were going to tell our fortune with that!" Marco yelled, his heart pounding.

"Huh? No, that was a family heirloom I got twenty years ago. My cousin, also a psychic, told me I'd see something it in that would cause terror in a couple of teenagers, but I found a flaw in the crystal structure! There's no way I could see anything in a crystal ball with a flaw in it!" The psychic said, cackling again. "When I get my hands on her she'll regret bamboozling me! Anyhoo, I'm a card reader, not a scryer! Now sit!" The elderly lady pulled out a deck of long cards and began shuffling them.

Marco and Kelly glanced warily at each other before taking their seats again. The woman finished shuffling the cards and placed them on the table in front of the two teens.

"Now, what kind of reading are we doing today...let's see..." The woman stood up and leaned over to where Kelly was sitting and took her hand. Flipping it palm up, the psychic traced the lines of her hand while muttering. She then leaned up and lifted Kelly's glasses and looked deeply into her eyes.

"Hey...!" Kelly protested, trying to pull away from the woman's surprisingly strong grip.

"Yes, yes. I see. You are both confident in yourself, but unsure at the same time. Still struggling to find your place in the world...I think a single card reading will do." The woman said, releasing her face. Kelly rubbed her face vigorously before replacing her glasses. The psychic cut the deck once, before placing three cards down on the table.

"Take your time, my dear, but choose the card you feel will speak to your future." The woman said, waving her hand mystically over the cards.

Kelly glanced over at Marco, the back to the cards on the table. She reach out to the card on her left, before hesitating and picking up the center card. Flipping it over revealed a beautiful Mewman woman in a plain white dress holding up a corn cob. Her cheek marks appeared to be open books.

"Ahh. I see. You chose Queen Libra the Temperate from the Major Arcana! She was well known in her time for being patient and fair in all things. Her card, Temperance, represents as much, as well as cooperation, emotions and feelings, and communication. Now and in the future you will find yourself in difficult or frustrating situations. However, if you remain patient, communicate, and try to understand the feelings of others, you will come through in the end."

"Really? That's about as vague as you can get!" Marco said, skeptically, but Kelly appeared to be lost in thought and the psychic ignored his rude comment.

"I haven't forgotten about you, Mango Dennis." The psychic said, gathering up her cards and shuffling them, leaving Marco wide-eyed. Her voice had suddenly became steadier than it had been.

"How did you almost know my name?" Marco asked, bewildered at the sudden change in tone and attitude.

"I have approximate knowledge of many things." She replied mysteriously, setting the cards back onto the table. "Now let us see what you have need of knowing."

The psychic leaned over the table and turned Marco's face so that she could see his mole. She poked it a few times, before opening his mouth and looking inside. As he breathed out, she sniffed delicately, before letting him go. Finally, she grabbed the front of his hoodie and pulled down, revealing a single, curly chest hair. She quickly plucked the hair and sat back.

"Rodrigo, no!" Marco cried out as the strange woman placed his chest hair in her mouth.

"Hmm...Mmm." The psychic said as she tasted and swallowed the solitary hair. "I see. Unlike with Kellogg, you have much conflict in you. Fear and courage rage a war inside you. But above all, I find that love-sickness dominates much of your thoughts. I think a three card reading, with an anchor card will do for you." She flipped over the top card of the deck, revealing two androgynous figures kissing in a field of flowers. Marco tried to protest, but she silenced him with a gesture.

"Perfect, The Lovers. This card comes from the Major Arcana and represents changes in existing relationships, sacrifice, and choice in partners. Becoming romantically involved with another often means sacrificing other potential relationships. It fundamentally changes one's relationship with the other person and with those who surround you. And aptly, it reveals that you have multiple interested parties."

The psychic spread the remaining cards out on the table in front of Marco.

"Mr. Dios, chose now, three cards that will tell of your love life. Chose wisely, deliberately. Place them face down, but do not look at them yet."

Marco reached his hand out over the cards and was surprised to find that he could feel magic energy radiating from the cards. As he became more proficient with magic, Marco had found that he could feel it when something possessed magic. He hadn't figured it out until he got away from Castle Butterfly, which was suffused with magic, and he noticed a void except when he was near Star. Sir Lavabo explained that it was merely a useful side effect of his training.

Closing his eyes, Marco reached out with his senses, chose three cards, and placed them face down on the table, side by side. The psychic collected the remaining cards and nodded approvingly. She placed The Lovers card above the ones Marco had chosen.

"The time as come, Mr. Dango. The first card." She flipped the card over and revealed an image of Star. As with Libra, Star was dressed in a pure white dress. She was seated upon a throne and held her wand aloft. Marco's mouth fell open as he saw the image.

"Surprised, Mr. Doris? These cards were designed with images of queens past and present, among other things. Your first card is The Princess from the Major Arcana and represents your first love interest. This card represents growth, something in progress, and receptiveness to change. Your first choice of lovers is not ready for you, nor you her, but something grows between you. How you nurture that feeling will determine what it grows into."

Without giving the dumbfounded squire a chance to respond, she flipped the second card.

"Your second love. The Ace of Swords from the Minor Arcana." A warrior was depicted on the card holding an unsheathed sword above their head. The warrior's face was obscured, unlike the previous cards.

"This card represents the ability to be decisive and cutting through confusion. To make a radical decision. To see through deception and expose it. Choosing this love interest will be a break from what others might see as a foregone conclusion. To be with them, you will have to be decisive. Any doubt or wishy-washiness will drive them away. Choosing them, however, will help eliminate any confused feelings you might have."

Marco glanced over at Kelly, who still seemed lost in thought. If the first card was Star, there was little doubt who the second card represented. This time the psychic did not speak, but flipped the final card over. A basket shaped like a goat's horn dominated the image and it was overflowing with corn cobs.

"Cornucopia of the Major Arcana. This final card represents the future of your love life. Endings. Beginnings. Change. Transitions. Transformations. To live is to change, and change comes for you Margo Donuts. Whether through action or inaction, your relationships with your love interests will change. It will be up to you if it is for the better or worse." The woman raised a hand and snapped her fingers causing Kelly to suddenly jerk to attention.

"You must have been deep in thought, my dear. Your readings are over. Have a good festival!" She said, shoving the dazed pair out of her tent.

* * *

 _ _Village Green, Outside Castle Butterfly__

"Marco...what just happened?" Kelly said, shielding her eyes as the pair were thrust out into the sun.

"I...you kinda went catatonic after she told your fortune. Are you okay?" Marco asked, concerned.

"Yeah...I couldn't help but think about what she said. It's like everything else just faded out. What did she tell you?" Kelly asked, looping her arm with his as they began walking from the tent.

"I...don't want to talk about it." Marco said, looking away. Kelly was about to press him for details, but she was once again interrupted.

" _ **MARCO!**_ _"_ a demonic voice yelled out. The pair spun to see an imposing figure in spiky black armor approaching them. Despite the haze that the reading left them in, they wasted no time in drawing their weapons. Kelly's great sword slammed to the ground as she separated from Marco, who drew the sword that Kelly had given him, its silvery blade glinting in the mid-morning sunlight. The other festival-goers panicked and started fleeing from the impending fight, while vendors crouched behind their stalls.

The black-clad figure suddenly came up short and waved his hands at the battle-ready pair.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. It's not even time for the corn maze yet!" The figured said, their voice muffled. They reached up and undid the clasp on their helmet, before removing it.

"Tom!" Marco and Kelly yelled simultaneously.

"Hey, guys. I've been looking for you all morning! Where's Star?" Tom said, looking around.

"Man, people have got to stop scaring us today." Marco said, sheathing his sword. Kelly nodded in agreement as she put hers up as well.

"Star had to help with the festival. You weren't at the opening ceremony, so I was showing Marco around until Star was free." Kelly supplied, drawing Tom's attention.

"Grrrrr. It's always like this! It's like she always puts off our plans to do princess stuff." Tom said, kicking the ground.

"It's not her fault, Tom. Queen Moon made her." Marco replied in her defense. "I was disappointed too." Tom started to reply, but noticed Kelly looping her arm back with Marco's. He'd noticed they were doing that before, but got distracted.

"Diaz, you sly dog! Did you and Kelly get together?" Tom said slyly.

"Why does everyone keep saying that?!" They yelled simultaneously.

"Well you do look pretty close...guess it's a good thing I didn't re-curse you, huh, Marco?" Tom said with a laugh.

"Curse?" Kelly asked, confused.

"Long story." Marco replied. "What's with the armor, Lucitor?"

"It's traditional for the festival, man. Where's yours?"

"Alright, someone needs to explain why everyone is wearing armor!" Marco yelled in frustration.

"And here I thought you'd already know, being the Princess's __Pity__ __Squire__ _."_ Someone interjected mockingly. Marco, Kelly, and Tom turned to face the speaker, though only Marco recognized them. A scowl tore its way across Marco face as he clenched his fists.

"What's up, Nerds?" A red-headed girl said with a smirk. She was flanked by a older man with a long mustache and a huge man wearing a helmet that was too small for his head.

 _" _Higgs._ "_

* * *

 ** **Marco's Book of Spells:  
****

 ** **Lumin**** \- Creates a small ball of light. Duration, color, and area of effect vary based on caster skill.

 ** **Igni**** \- (Mentioned) Creates a blast of fire. Power and area of effect vary based on skill of caster and their creativity.

 ** **Obic**** \- (Mentioned, but not named) Creates a magical shield that can block physical and magical attacks. Defensive ability varies based on skill of caster. Enough force will overwhelm and collapse shield.

 ** **Umbra**** \- (Mentioned) Effect is currently known only to Eclipsa and Marco.

* * *

Author's Notes:

There you have it! Chapter 8 of MKVU!

The only excuse I have for the delay this time (and probably every time for the foreseeable future) is that Monster Hunter World has absolutely consumed my life.

Current Stats (As of 2-24-2018):

Chapters: 8

Word Count (excluding Author's Notes): Approximately 27,161

Views: 20, 716

Reviews: 187

Followed: 278

Favorites: 226

Communities: 0

Days since last update: 20

Amount of love I have for my readers: OVAH 9000!

Hope you guys enjoyed the Chapter!

Until next time!


	9. Challenge Accepted

Marco and Kelly vs. The Universe

As always, thanks to everyone who has read, reviewed, favorite/followed, or PMed me.

We hit another milestone with the last chapter ringing in at over 200 reviews. I'm so happy I could cry. You guys are the best! 3 Let's keep shooting for the Stars! Get it?

Shout out to Amused_Lad who helped me settle on a name for a new spell in this chapter!

*SPOILER ALERT*

This story takes place after the episode "Lava Lake Beach" and may contain spoilers up through "Stump Day". Don't forget to check out my other SVTFOE story "Washed Out" though you should be prepared for some feels if you do!

If you see any glaring spelling/grammatical errors, let me know in a PM. I'll be rereading this over the next few days for proofing. I'm still finding errors in other chapters and fixing them as I go along.

* * *

Chapter 9: Challenge Accepted

 _ _Village Green, Outside Castle Butterfly__

"Alright, someone needs to explain why everyone is wearing armor!" Marco yelled, frustrated at himself for not looking into the festival more.

"And here I thought you'd already know, being the Princess's __Pity-__ _ _Squire__ _."_ Someone interjected mockingly. Marco, Kelly, and Tom. Turned to face the speaker, though only Marco recognized them. A scowl tore its way across Marco face as he clenched his fists.

"What's up, Nerds?" A red-headed girl said with a smirk. She was flanked by a older man with a long mustache and a huge man wearing a helmet that was too small for his head.

 _"_ _ _Higgs__ _."_ Marco hissed angrily. Kelly and Tom exchanged a look before turning haughty glares on the newcomer and her friends.

"Marco..." Kelly said, reaching into her hair.

"Who the..." Tom said, reaching for his sword.

Marco threw out his hand, stopping the pair. They started to protest, but Marco shot them a look, stopping them dead.

"Guys. Let me handle this." He said, as he schooled his expression. "What are you doing here, Higgs."

"This is one of the biggest events of the year. Everyone who's anyone is here. Though I guess even a no-one like yourself can technically come." Higgs taunted. Marco's hands curled into fists, but he otherwise kept his cool. Higgs sized up his companions, briefly appreciating the craftsmanship of Tom's armor, but not recognizing them.

"Where's the princess or did she finally dump you? Oh that's right. She's not your girlfriend. You sniffing around the bush girl? Poor thing. You need me to call the guard on him and the monster, Glasses?" Higgs said, feigning concern. Kelly and Tom snarled and drew their weapons at her words, prompting Higgs' companions doing the same.

"TOM, KELLY. Let. Me. Handle this. Okay?" Marco asked. Kelly and Tom nodded warily and put up their weapons. Higgs companions did the same.

"A shame. I was really looking forward to kicking your butts all over this festival. Anyway, I overheard you talking and wanted to tell you that the Corn Maze is a battle royale. You'll want armor in case someone tries to impale or dismember you." Higgs said casually. Marco was skeptical, but Tom, Star, and Kelly had all been armored. Marco looked over to Kelly for confirmation and she nodded.

"She's telling the truth." Kelly said, though it pained her to say it.

"Why are you helping me?" Marco said, suspiciously.

"I don't want you getting killed before next year's Squire's Tournament. I intend to humiliate you and show once and for all that you don't deserve to be a squire, even a fake one for the princess!" Higgs said fiercely. Marco grit his teeth. Star had told him not to instigate any fights with Higgs or her fellow squires, but as far as he was concerned, Higgs had officially started it.

"That so? I may not know much about the Harvest Festival, but I've read up on the Squire's Tournament. So let's make it official. I formally challenge you to a Squire's duel!" Marco declared, drawing a gasp from his friends and Higgs cronies. Higgs only smirked. This was exactly what she was hoping for.

"I accept...on the condition that if I win, you quit being a squire and leave the castle!" Higgs replied.

"Marco, no!" Kelly said, grabbing Marco's arm.

"Dude, you don't have to agree!" Tom said, concerned. He wasn't exactly happy that he worked so closely to Star, but he wasn't totally against it either. Marco shook off Kelly's grasp and faced off with Higgs.

"Fine, but if I win, you will issue a formal apology to Star in a manner, time, and place of my choosing." Marco said, glaring at his nemesis.

"Is that all? Fine." Higgs said, snorting. She then made a hand sign and her hand suddenly glowed.

" **Code Duello**." Higgs then held her hand out toward Marco. Marco shook her hand and suddenly felt a connection establish itself between him and Higgs.

For a brief moment, he could feel her inner most feelings. He could feel her rage at him being given the position she had worked so hard for, her determination to be a knight, despite her common blood. He could feel her contempt for Tom, who she merely thought was an uppity monster, and for Kelly for her heritage, though what that heritage was, Marco didn't know. He could feel her pride for having made it so far.

The connection was gone as quickly as it appeared. Marco gasped at the sudden intimate knowledge he had of Higgs and the sudden burning on his right forearm. Marco rolled up his shirt sleeve and found that a tattoo of crossed flags had appeared on his arm. One flag had a pair of crossed swords on a field of red, while the other held an image of Star's wand and a yellow rubber glove crossed on a field of blue.

Higgs held up her forearm and Marco could see a matching tattoo there.

"There. We're bound to duel at the Squire's Tournament. If either of us breaks the terms or rules of the duel...well lets just say things get unpleasant." Higgs said, though seemingly less cocky than she was before. "Come on, Old Guy, Baby Man. The Corn Eating contest is probably going to be over soon and we'll be needed."

As the three began walking away, Baby Man turned back and slammed his fist into his palm and grinned. Old Guy also turned to look back at them, but merely stroked his mustache before continuing on. After the three were out of hearing range, Marco turned back to Tom and Kelly, who looked furious with him.

"Why did you let them walk all over us!" Kelly said, stomping her foot in frustration.

"How dare a peasant talk to me that way!" Tom said, with barely controlled anger. He'd been getting better at not flying off the handle.

"Guys, guys. Star doesn't want us fighting them. Tom, you're her boyfriend and Kelly, you're her friend. She'd want you to do the same." Marco said, trying to soothe the pair.

"You should have let us teach them a lesson." Tom insisted.

"Remember when we hung out that one time and those dude-bros made fun of your carriage, Tom?" Marco asked.

"Uh, Yeah?" Tom replied, confused.

"This is the same thing. I just gave Higgs enough rope to trap herself, and she eagerly set the line." Marco said, grinning maliciously. Tom was quietly thoughtful for a moment before a devilish grin split his face.

"What happened..." Kelly began, curious about Marco and Tom's adventure, when she was interrupted.

" **COPIOUS CORN CRASH PAD!** " Out of nowhere, a huge pile of corn kernels appeared in a flash of light and something slammed into it.

Sir Lavabo suddenly sat up out of the pile.

"That...is a most interesting method of travel, milady." Sir Lavabo said, before he coughed up a handful of kernels. Star then stood up out of the pile and began brushing herself off, wand in hand.

"Not everyone can have a super awesome dragoncycle. Well I mean, I probably could, but ya know. Wand." Star said, twirling the wand in her hand. Star looked over and noticed her friends staring at her. "Marco! Tom! Kelly." Star said as she ran over to them, arms wide. Tom interposed himself between Marco and Star and caught her in a hug. Marco and Kelly winced at the loud clank their respective armors made as they crashed together.

"I've been looking for you everywhere, Starship!" Tom said with a smile.

"I've been helping out with the festival events. We just finished the Corn Eating Contest..."

"Aww man." Marco moaned while Kelly looked pleased.

"...and all that's left is the Corn Maze!" Star said, excitedly. "Come on! Dad's going to announce the rules at the main stage." Star said, grabbing Tom and Marco's hands.

"Actually, milady, I need to have a word with Squire Marco on Queen Moon's behalf. Go, he will catch up in time for the maze." Sir Lavabo interjected. Star wanted to protest, but found herself unwilling at the mention of her mother's name. She settled for a scowl instead.

"Alright. Tom. Kelly. Let's go." Star said, before dragging a confused Tom off towards the stage. Kelly shared a look with Marco, but he waved her on with a smile.

Sir Lavabo placed a hand on Marco's shoulder and began guiding him away from where Kelly stood watching.

* * *

 _ _Moments later...__

"Squire Marco, why do you go unarmored?" Sir Lavabo asked, a hint of disapproval in his voice, as the pair moved through the crowd.

"I didn't learn about the festival until last night. I only just learned that the Corn Maze involved fighting." Marco said, slightly embarrassed by his lack of preparation.

"I see. Retrieve your armor now, Squire." Sir Lavabo said, stopping in front of a Corn on the Cob vendor. Marco pulled out his scissors and opened a small portal and stuck the upper half of his body through. Marco wiggled around for a few moments, and when he pulled his body back through, he was wearing his armored hoodie. Sir Lavabo nodded approvingly before guiding Marco forward again.

"Very good. I see that you have also acquired a sword. This is well, as I must ask you to relinquish your Scissors to me." Sir Lavabo said, hold his hand out to take Marco's scissors. Marco looked down at his scissors and reluctantly placed them in Sir Lavabo's hand.

"Why can't I use my scissors, Sir Lavabo?" Marco asked, confused.

"They are against the rules this year, my Squire. There was...a mishap last year." Sir Lavabo said uneasily, looking to the side in remembrance. "We who are charged with managing the event are trying to head off certain issues to prevent unnecessary injuries." Sir Lavabo tucked Marco's scissors into his belt before addressing his Squire again.

"I must also apologize, Squire Marco." Sir Lavabo said with a bow, making Marco's eyes go wide.

"For what?" Marco asked, confused.

"I feel I have ill prepared you for the events ahead. I did not anticipate you would be engaging in full combat so soon." Sir Lavabo said, stroking his beard. "I would have taught you a combat spell had I realized. I can not fully rectify this now, but I can teach you the basic spell now. You will not have time to practice, but it will have to do."

Marco suddenly looked around, only then realizing that they had traveled to the edge of the village green. The nearest person to them was more than a hundred yards off.

"Is that why you wanted me alone?" Marco asked. It was forbidden for non-Knights or Squires to be allowed to overhear matters related to Knight Magic, especially combat magic.

"Indeed. I will now show you Dis." Sir Lavabo said, showing Marco the hand sign. Marco eagerly copied Sir Lavabo.

"Ok. What is the spell?" Marco asked.

" **Dis**." Sir Lavabo replied, making a gesture towards a nearby tree. An unseen force suddenly slammed into the tree, knocking it over.

"This?" Marco asked, confused, pointing his hand towards another tree. Nothing happened.

"No. Dis." Sir Lavabo, said patiently.

"This!" Marco said, using the hand sign he was shown.

"No! Dis." Sir Lavabo said.

"That's what I'm saying!" Marco said in frustration.

"No. You are saying 'This'. It's Dis." Sir Lavabo said, emphasizing the 'D' before they got stuck in an eternal loop.

" **Dis.** " Marco said, finally. He felt the power rush out of his palm, but the tree he aimed at was seemingly unaffected.

"Good." Sir Lavabo said, "You picked it up quickly, though it is too weak for combat now. You should return now to your friends. Your quest starts soon!' Sir Lavabo said enthusiastically. Marco smiled at his eccentric mentor.

"Thanks, Sir Lavabo!" Marco said, before running back towards the festival.

"And good luck, my Squire." Sir Lavabo said as he watched his somewhat reckless charge sprint back to his friends.

* * *

 _ _Back at the festival__

Marco sprinted through the crowd as he hurried to catch up to his friends. Now that he knew more about the upcoming event, he was eager to get started. He'd always enjoyed fighting, whether it was sparring at the dojo with his fellow students, or fending off monster attacks with Star.

'I might even get a lucky break and get a shot at Higgs...' Marco thought with a grin as he dodged around a portly vendor carrying a tray of corncobs.

"Hey!" The man yelled, but Marco ignored him.

 _'_ I''ll never make it in time if I stop to apologize to everyone I bump into...' Marco thought. He twisted his body around a woman carrying a small child and ran head first into Kelly, knocking her over.

"Marco!" Kelly yelled, hitting the ground as Marco lost his footing and ended up rolling and landing in a heap. Marco shook his head and jumped to his feet as he saw Kelly sprawled on the ground. He ran over to her and helped to her feet as she yelled at him.

"You need to watch where you're going, dude. That wasn't cool." She said as she brushed the dirt off her sweater.

"Sorry, Kelly. I didn't want to miss the rules for the event..." Marco said sheepishly as he brushed himself off.

"It's fine. What did Sir Lavabo want?" She asked as she pulled off her glasses to clean them. Marco tried to form words, but he was stunned by Kelly's face.

"He...uh...he...that is..." Marco rambled. He'd never seen her without her glasses before and was surprised how cute she looked.

"Not that she's any less pretty with them on, but still..."

"Aww...that's nice of you to say, but I wanted to know what Sir Lavabo said." Kelly said with a blush as she pushed her glasses back on to her face. Marco looked at her wide eyes as he realized he'd spoken aloud. Kelly took his hand and began leading him to the main stage as his brain reset.

"Marco. Sir Lavabo?" Kelly asked, smiling up at him.

"Right...right. Sir Lavabo. He...uh...took my...my scissors. Said they were banned." Marco said, fumbling his words a bit.

"I kinda figured that would happen. I heard that fire magic is banned this year. Given what happened last year, it's no surprised." Kelly said, casually, but casting a meaningful look at the sword he had belted to his waist. Marco placed his free hand on the hilt, subconsciously as they walked.

"What happened?" Marco asked.

"Well...last year Star broke up with Tom at the festival. They were in the middle of the corn maze and Tom suddenly raged out and set half the field on fire. It's a wonder they're even letting him participate this year." Kelly said with a shrug.

Marco nodded in understanding. That's what Sir Lavabo meant. His sword had a heavy fire magic component. They always caught fire as soon as he transformed them from their scissor mode. It'd be bad if he set the whole field on fire.

"What's the goal of the maze?" Marco asked. They still had a bit to go to get to the stage and he wanted to know as much as he could going into the event.

"We're looking for the Mewnicorn. A single perfect cob of corn hidden somewhere in the field."

"Sounds...like finding a needle in a needle stack..." Marco said skeptically.

"No. It's very different. It practically radiates magic power. They say that a single kernel could feed a man for a day. If you eat the whole thing, its supposed to grant you super-mewman powers. They also say hat the finder gets a single wish granted. Of course, only the Johansens and Butterflies ever manage to get it, but Star and Tom came pretty close last year I heard." Kelly said excitedly.

The pair finally arrived at the main event stage, though a large crowd had assembled. Star and Tom were nowhere in site, though probably closer to the stage.

"...and that'sss why you never play seven minutes in heaven with, Helios! Ha haaa!" River said, apparently finishing a story. The crowd laughed uneasily at his story and the people near Marco and Kelly looked ill.

"We...might have gotten lucky..." Marco whispered to Kelly, who nodded back. Marco suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder and spun around in surprise to find Tom and Star standing beside them. Marco was about to chew Tom out for scaring him, but Tom put a finger up to his lips and pointed to the stage.

"Any who. The rules for the Corn Maze this year are the same as last year with two new rules. First, no fire magic. I'm looking at you, Prince Tom..." River said, somehow picking Tom out from the back of the crowd. River pointed to his eyes and then at Tom. Tom had the decency to look embarrassed, while Star giggled a bit.

"We don't want a repeat of last year. Next, things have gotten a bit too unruly in recent years, with more and more people participating. By mutual agreement between the Butterflies and Johansens, you may only have two people per team." This set the crowd to murmuring, while Star openly gaped. She had been planning on destroying the competition with Tom, Marco, and even Kelly on her team. She had come close last year, even without her wand.

"I know, but to much damage is caused to the fields by large scale skirmishes. Anyone found to be violating the spirit or letter of these rules will be forcefully ejected from the maze. I mean that literally. Moonpie, here cast a spell to eject collaborating groups, straight into the sky! Ha ha!" River said with a laugh. "The event begins in 10 minutes!"

Star stood dumbfounded at the sudden turn of events. It seemed like her parents were thwarting her attempts to hang out with Marco at every turn!

"I guess I'll...go with Star? I'm her Squire after all..." Marco said uneasily. He didn't really want to have to choose between his crus...friend, bro, and bestie. Going with the duty angle seemed the safest route though.

"Yeah, but I'm her boyfriend man. Come on, Starship! Let's make this the Comeback of the Year for Team Tomar!" Tom said, eagerly. Star looked nervously between the two.

"I...I..." Star said, torn. Tom gave her a smile that made her heart ache. Who was she supposed to choose?

"Go with your boyfriend, girl. I can take care of Diaz." Kelly said, trying to be helpful, though she unknowingly made it harder for Star to decide. It was like the universe was against her. She looked at Marco with pleading eyes. Surely he had an idea that would let them team up.

"That could work I suppose. Team Tomar and Team Kellco. We've never had a chance to spar, Star, so this could be fun..." Marco said, hesitantly, dashing Star's hopes.

"Yeah...yeah...alright then!" Star said, grabbing Tom's hand. She hated to admit it, but it did sound like fun taking Marco on. She suppressed a scowl as Kelly looped her arm through Marco's.

And if she got to prove she's a better battle buddy than Kelly...well that would be the Bacon on the Corncob...

* * *

 ** **Marco's Book of Spells:****

 ** **Lumin**** \- Creates a small ball of light. Duration, color, and area of effect vary based on caster skill.

 **Dis-** Creates a wave of kinetic energy that pushes foe away from the caster. Damage and area of effect vary based on skill of caster

 ** **Igni**** \- (Mentioned) Creates a blast of fire. Power and area of effect vary based on skill of caster and their creativity.

 ** **Obic**** \- (Mentioned, but not named) Creates a magical shield that can block physical and magical attacks. Defensive ability varies based on skill of caster. Enough force will overwhelm and collapse shield.

 ** **Umbra**** \- (Mentioned) Effect is currently known only to Eclipsa and Marco.

 **Code Duello-** A spell that binds two Knights preparing to duel. It allows them to feel each others feelings to create a sense of understanding between them. This preferably would end the duel with the Knights coming to an understanding, but otherwise enforces the terms of the duel. It creates a physical mark on the participants.

* * *

Author's Notes:

There you have it! Chapter 9 of MKVU!

Hope you guys enjoyed the Chapter!

My only excuse (not that I need one) for the delay this time is I had to prep for Naka-Kon. Had a blast though!

Until next time!


	10. The a-MAIZE-ing Race

Marco and Kelly vs. The Universe

As always, thanks to everyone who has read, reviewed, favorite/followed, or PMed me.

*SPOILER ALERT*

This story may contain spoilers up through "Stump Day".

If you see any glaring spelling/grammatical errors, let me know in a PM. I'll be rereading this over the next few days for proofing. I'm still finding errors in other chapters and fixing them as I go along.

* * *

Chapter 9: The a-MAIZE-ing Race

 _ _Outside the Corn Maze, Outside Castle Butterfly__

"Alright, Marco. I'm going to give you a quick rundown of what to expect in there." Kelly said as she slowly lead her companion towards the various entrances into the Corn Maze. She hadn't let go of his arm since their group split up into teams. After King River's speech, the crowd, including Star and Tom, had quickly dispersed as participants ran towards the starting area, eager to pick an entrance that would lead them to the mythical Mewnicorn.

"I have a feeling I'm not going to like the sound of this." Marco said worriedly as he sized up their rivals. The crowd mostly consisted of Johansens and Butterflies, few were brave enough to try to get in between the rival families. The Johansens were exclusively decked out in armor crafted from animal skins and wielding every variety of weapon one could imagine. The Butterflies, on the other hand, consisted of a mix of Royals and their knightly servants. The Royals wore elaborate clothing in the finest of silks, brocade, rare metals, and precious jewels. Their knights wore plate mail and bore gleaming swords at their hips.

Glancing down at his own armor, Marco started to think he might need to invest in actual armor, rather than light plate sewed on to a Tal-Mart brand hoodie...He appreciated Sir Lavabo's gift, but he was starting to think the man over estimated the strength of his hoodie's fabric.

"Yeah," Kelly said grimly, "In addition to all the people we might have to fight, there is a variety of magical traps designed to keep thieves from stealing corn. They can be circumvented, but they can still be a pain. They change from year to year, so you'll never know what we'll run into." Kelly gripped his arm harder to make sure his attention was on her, "I need you to follow my lead while we're in there. You're strong, but inexperienced."

Marco couldn't help but scoff at her words.

"I've been going on adventures with Star for over a year now and I've been training with Sir Lavabo. I think I can handle a maze, traps or no traps." Marco said confidently.

"Don't be an idiot, Diaz." Kelly said furiously, causing Marco to pull away from her in surprise. His jaw dropping at the venom in her words, "It's true that you're not quite a raw newbie, but you are still inexperienced. I started adventuring with my dad when I was ten and started running solo at thirteen. That's a solid 6 years of experience and I'm still nervous at what we might encounter!" Kelly yelled, stamping her foot on the ground.

Marco threw his hands up in surrender. He should have known better than to provoke her. He'd seen her take Uncle Slab down a peg, after all.

"Sorry, Kelly. I...just can't help, but feel confident. With the two of us working together, I think we could win!" Marco said, trying to soothe her anger.

"And we might. If you listen to me." She said quietly, looking away from him. She hadn't meant to go off on her friend, but he needed to know how serious it was. "People die in there, Marco. Not every year, but it happens. I couldn't live with myself if you got killed."

'I really need to get a handle on my cockiness.' Marco thought with a grimace. He placed a hand on Kelly's shoulder, prompting her to look at him. Marco gave her a soft smile before pulling her into a hug.

"I'm not going to die. I'll follow your lead." He whispered into her ear. Kelly slumped against him in relief.

"Thank you." She mumbled back. Marco's brain quickly tried to find something to lighten the mood as they started walking towards the maze again.

"Wait...you're 16?" Marco said with surprise.

"Um...yeah. I am." Kelly said, suddenly embarrassed, running her hand through her hair nervously and looking away. "I...hope that isn't a problem?"

"No! I mean...of course not. It's just a surprise, that's all. I...just thought you and Star were the same age..."

"I met her outside the Bounce Lounge after my first successful mission. She and Pony Head wanted to get in, but they were too young, so I helped them sneak in. We've been friends ever since. Things have been weirdly tense with her lately though. Not sure why..." Kelly said thoughtfully as they arrived at the Staging Area for the Corn Maze.

Queen Moon and King River stood on a stage outside one of the entrances to the Maze. River cleared his throat and held up his staff before addressing the crowd once more.

"The Main Event shall begin shortly. Each team must choose from one of the hundreds of entrances and only one team may enter each entrance. And remember, if you damage the walls of the maze, you will be ejected for cheating!" River said, before slamming his staff on the stage. "You may..."

Suddenly a bush on the ground sprang up and revealed a strange man with mushrooms growing out of his head. The man ran laughing through the nearest entrance. Behind him corn stalks suddenly grew up, closing off the entrance. The stalks clearly formed the shape of the number 1, designating that Entrance 1 had been closed. Everyone stared in stunned silence, except for Queen Moon who groaned and covered her face with her hand. A moment later there was a flash of light and the man flew through the sky, out of the corn maze and landed face first on the stage.

"Dang it!" the man yelled as River helped him to his feet.

"Tried to run straight through the Maze again, Eddie?" River asked, amused.

"Ha! I never learn!" Eddie said, before scratching one of the mushrooms on his head.

"Any who...BEGIIIIIN!" River yelled, slamming his staff on the ground one final time.

The crowd burst into motion as teams shoved and jostled their way towards the multiple entrances. Battle cries of the two main families echoed throughout the area. Marco looked around and managed to catch a glimpse of Star and Tom running into one of the nearby entrances. He felt a warm hand slide into his and he looked over at Kelly, who smiled at him.

"You ready to go, Marco?" Kelly said with a grin. Marco checked his sword with his free and and loosened it in its scabbard.

"Ready." Marco said, grinning. Kelly laughed and pulled him off towards the entrances. Selecting one, Kelly and Marco sprinted through without looking back. Corn stalks magically grew up, closing the entrance behind them and forming the number 667.

* * *

 _ _Inside the Maze__

As soon as the maze closed behind the pair, the sound of battle cries stopped and an eerie silence settled over the maze. Marco and Kelly stopped to listen to the sudden silence.

"Creepy." Marco muttered, releasing Kelly's hand and looking around.

"Yeah. That's a new feature. Must be to help prevent cheating." Kelly said quietly. Any noise they might make now would certainly carry, alerting others to their position. Marco reached out to touch one of the corn stalks. The wall of corn was so thick he couldn't see through it. Kelly grabbed his hand before he could touch the stalk. "I don't know how sensitive the spell is on the walls, but let's avoid touching them unless we have to." She whispered.

"Okay." Marco said with a nod and the slowly began forward. The twists and turns of the maze began shortly into the path. The path winded back and forth and they were forced to make multiple choices of directions at each intersection they encountered. Kelly shot Marco a cunning grin at the first intersection when she pulled out one of the stuffed animals, some kind of turtle-duck, and placed it on the ground.

"To mark where we've been." She said, before picking a direction to go. They took turns picking directions, and only had to double back once before the path started to widen. It had been absolutely silent the entire time, with no sign of the other contestants, and the pair had grown increasingly tense as the minutes passed.

"We're coming up on a room. If there's a trap, it'll be there. Rooms are also where paths from other entrances join up." Kelly whispered. The path ahead suddenly cut a sharp right and Kelly pressed close to the wall and knelt. Marco followed suit and knelt beside her, careful to keep his armor from clanking against hers.

Kelly then pointed to Marco, then her eyes, and finally at the corner. Marco shook his head, not understanding. Kelly repeated the gestures, but more slowly this time, but Marco shook his head, confused. Kelly sighed in exasperation, before whispering to him.

"Peek around the corner, you doof. My hair would be easily spotted, if someone or somethings watching. Yours, less so." Kelly said, mildly agitated. Marco mouthed the word 'Oh' before nodding and looking. The 'Room' was a large square shaped clearing and appear to be completely devoid of anything except for a single scarecrow that appeared to be wearing a wizard hat and robes and holding a crude staff.

Marco laughed out loud and felt the tension ease out of him. He quickly stood up and began walking into the room.

"Marco!" Kelly shout whispered, standing up herself and turning the corner to catch up.

"It's fine, Kelly. It's just a scarecrow." Marco said, feeling a rush of relief. Seeing that there was only a single exit in the room, Marco began jogging towards it.

At the same time, Kelly got a good look into the room and gasped.

"Marco, wait!" She said rushing after him. Marco stopped and turned in confusion a moment before she grabbed his wrist. As she did so, corn stalks burst from the ground all around them and began weaving together in a dome shape.

"No no no no nooo!" Kelly said as she pulled Marco towards the dome. The corn stalks weaved together tightly, creating a huge dome that blocked out a good portion of the light. "Dang it, Marco!"

"What? I'm sorry! I didn't know it was a trap!" Marco said, panic tingeing his voice.

"It's a Corn Wizard! They trap thieves here until they can be collected by the guards. IF the guards collect them. There's only one chance..." Kelly said, trailing off as she drew her great sword out of her hair. She immediately leapt at the wall of the dome and began hacking at it.

Despite the huge, powerful sweeps of her blows, she barely grazed the walls of the dome. What little damage she did was quickly repair by the continuously growing corn stalks. With a grunt of frustration, Kelly shoved the sword into her hair and drew out a pair of short blades in a reverse grip. The blades gleamed in the dim light and he could just make out that they seemed to be designed for being used in a reverse grip. Kelly leapt once more and began slashing at the wall, desperately trying to cut through the corn stalks. Her blows came in at a variety of angles, nearly faster than Marco could see, and she spun in circles, adding momentum to her blows.

Marco could only watch in awe at her furious combination of blows. He hadn't even known she used other kinds of weapons! Kelly finally leapt back, panting. She'd managed to make far deeper cuts with the focused blows of her daggers, but the damage was quickly repairing. She let out a cry of frustration and cast the daggers to the ground, once more reaching into her hair.

"Let's try one more..." She said, shaky from fatigue as she drew a lance from her hair, causing Marco's mouth to drop. Kelly's pocket dimension was unbelievably useful. Kelly leveled her lance at the damaged section of the dome and charged at it. The lance impacted at the point she had damaged the most and the tip sunk deeply into the stalks. Kelly stepped back to see her handy work and was once more annoyed. The stalks had already started growing around the lance.

Kelly reached into her hair once more and drew out a massive hammer.

"And now for the final blow!" Kelly shouted. Kelly charged at her lance and brought the hammer around in a full circle. The head of her hammer impacted at the hilt of the lance and drove it all the way through the dome and out the other side.

Kelly peered through the hole she had made hopefully, but collapsed to her knees in defeat. Marco walked over to the hole she had made and looked through it. He was able to see the scarecrow on the other side. Her lance had flown through the air and torn a gash through its robe, but left it otherwise unharmed.

"Marco," Kelly said, breathing heavily, "Please tell me you have something that can destroy the Corn Wizard. It's the only way to escape and you need to do it before that hole closes!" Marco looked up and saw that the hole was closing rapidly. Whatever magic this trap possessed caused the corn to grow at an insane rate.

"Maybe?" Marco said, uncertainly. The spell Sir Lavabo taught him could certainly do it... "I'll try."

"Hurry, or we'll be trapped here until the end of the festival!" Kelly said as she pushed her self to her feet and moved out of the way.

Marco took up a stance and focused. He hadn't had a chance to practice, but if he threw everything he had into it, with a little luck, he might be able to break the scarecrow.

"Marco..." Kelly warned, but Marco shut her out and focused on what Sir Lavabo taught him. He breathed in and drew deep on his source of magic. Forming the hand sign, Marco thrust his hand out, aiming for the quickly shrinking opening in the dome and cried out.

" **Dis!** " Marco felt the energy rush out of him and spiral out in a wave of kinetic energy. The wave rushed towards the wall...and gently puffed up against it. Marco stumbled back, weary from his exertion and slumped against the wall of the dome. "Dang it."

Kelly stumbled over to the same wall and slumped down next to him.

"I'm...I'm sorry, Kelly." Marco said, putting his face in his hands. "I messed everything up."

"Yeah," Kelly said with a sigh, "Yeah, kinda. That's why I wanted you to follow my lead."

"What now?" Marco asked quietly. He didn't think he'd screw up so soon into the festival.

"Well. We're stuck here until rescue comes, probably tomorrow I'd say. I really wish you had your scissors now." Kelly said with a groan. She slumped over an laid her head on Marco's shoulder. Marco tensed at the sudden closeness, but quickly relaxed. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Marco spoke up.

"You said that thing was a Corn Wizard?" Marco asked, trying to fill the quiet.

"Yeah. It's trap magic. The scarecrow anchors the magic. You defeat it by having one person trigger the magic and the other attack the scarecrow." Kelly said, cheeks flushing. She already knew the follow up question.

"Then why didn't you stay back?" Marco said, perking up.

"So it's not entirely your fault. I kinda ran in on instinct. I didn't want you getting hurt..." Kelly said, embarrassed, drawing a snort from Marco.

"I guess we're both a couple of goofs, huh?" Marco said, chuckling.

"Hyuk." Kelly replied. The pair fell silent, still trying to catch their breath, however it was a much more comfortable silence. It was impossible to tell how much time passed, but Kelly didn't mind. She snuggled closer to him, placing her head on his chest and he placed an arm around her. His face appeared calm, his eyes closed, but she could hear his heart pounding in his chest. They were going to be there a while so she decided to gather up her courage and ask him the question that had kept her up several nights.

"Marco..." Kelly asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, Kelly?"

"I...wanted to ask you something." Kelly said, dragging it out. Her own heart was hammering in her chest.

"What's up?"

"I wanted to ask...do you...do you feel any thing for me?" She said quietly, not daring to hope. Marco suddenly jerked up, and turned a disbelieving stare at his friend, his jaw hanging open. Kelly sat up herself and looked him in the eyes.

"Uhhhh...I...uh...I..." Kelly grimaced at his response, it wasn't what she had hoped, what she had imagined, but she pressed on.

"At first, when we started hanging out, I just needed a friend. I needed help getting my mind off of Tad and I thought maybe I could help you get your mind off Star. Then...somewhere along the line I felt a spark between us and...and I need to know if you feel that spark too." Kelly said, placing a hand on his chest. Marco closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"I was not prepared for today..." Marco said with a laugh, shaking his head. Kelly gave him a confused look. "The truth is...I...I still have a...cr...ah...I still have a crush on Star." Kelly's eye's widened at Marco words. The pounding in her heart suddenly turned to a sourness in her stomach. Marco took a deep breath. Kelly had shown such courage in admitting her feelings to him that he felt obligated to do the same.

"That said, I spent most of today trying not to think of this as a date. I...I couldn't imagine that you'd feel this way about me."

"Then..." Kelly said, sourness turning to butterflies. This time Marco grimaced.

"I can't...I won't give you my answer. Not yet." Marco said, causing Kelly to slump in defeat.

"Hey. Listen." Marco said, placing a hand on Kelly face and lifting her head so he could look her in the eyes. Tears were running down her cheeks which were flushed with embarrassment. "I can't answer until I work out my feelings for Star and for you. It...it isn't fair to you if I pick you just because Star's taken. If I choose you, I want it to be without any regrets. It would taint our relationship otherwise. Could...could you give me some time, before I answer? I know it isn't what you want to hear..."

Kelly closed her eyes and wiped her tears away before smiling up at Marco.

"Fine. I'll give you a little time. But if you wait too long I'll find somebody new..." Kelly said, grinning.

"And then we'll be just friends...yeah. I get it. I promise it won't be long at all." Marco said, smiling softly. The last time he heard that song was at the concert with Star and Jackie.

'I'll...I'll have to figure out a way to talk to Star about it.' Marco thought, though it made him nervous. Despite his partial rejection, Kelly settled back into cuddling Marco, placing her head back on his chest.

Marco sighed, shifting around until he was comfortable. Another problem on a growing list of them.

'I'm going to die of stress I think...' Marco thought, 'With everything going on, the monster party, Hekapoo, Eclipsa's trial...Eclipsa!'

Marco suddenly sat up, disturbing Kelly, who groaned in annoyance.

"Hey! I was comfortable!" Kelly said, punching Marco on the shoulder, but he didn't notice. He was too caught up in his thoughts.

"Kelly...do you...do you trust me?" Marco asked hesitantly. There might be a way out...but it existed in what was likely a morally gray area.

"Yeah...why?" Kelly said suspiciously.

"I...might have a way out of here." He was really the one who messed up. Didn't he owe it to her to try everything he could.

'Dark is not necessarily evil.' Eclipsa had said. Was she right. Could he even trust her on that much? He hadn't dared cast the spell before this, but for some reason he knew with certainty that he could do it perfectly. He knew the spell better than he did Lumin, his first spell. He __knew__ it. Whatever Eclipsa did when she kissed him had written the spell indelibly in his memory.

"Okay. What is it?" Kelly said, suddenly eager. She'd take just about any chance to get back in the game.

"I need you to promise me you won't tell anyone about what I do. I'm about to give you blackmail material that might be worth killing me over..." Marco said gravely. "I really shouldn't, but this is all my fault. I owe it to you."

"What is it?" Kelly said, equally wary and curious.

"Promise me, Kelly." Marco said, holding his pinky out. "Pinky promise." Kelly snorted at the childish gesture, but took his pinky with hers. She'd do just about anything for Marco at this point.

"Alright. The night of my...my birthday. Eclipsa gave me a spell when she kissed my cheek..."

"WHAT! No. No no no. Marco. No." Kelly shouted, jumping to her feet.

"Kelly."

"No, Marco. Casting a spell given to you by an evil queen is, like, the number one worst thing you could do!" Kelly yelled.

"Kelly! How sure are you that we'll get rescued? If you can tell me the chance is 100%, then I'll back down from this. Otherwise, I know I can cast this spell without issue. We aren't dying in here today."

"I mean..." Kelly said hesitantly. "We are pretty close to the entrance..."

"I said, 100% sure Kelly."

"This is a bad idea, Marco. What if it corrupts you!" Kelly said, worried.

"It doesn't work that way. Even if it did. One time wouldn't corrupt me that bad!" Marco said.

"I..." Kelly said. Marco could sense her weakening resolve. She trusted him and really wanted to go on, just not at his expense. He did the only thing he thought he could to push her over the edge.

"Just trust me, Kelly." Marco said in his Adult Marco voice. He could melt Hekapoo like butter with it and he bet that it would have the same effect on Kelly. Unsurprisingly, the last of her resolve crumbled and she sunk to her knees, flushed in the face.

"F-fine. Just don't get hurt." She said, fanning her face. How had he done that?

"Alright. Get ready to destroy that scarecrow once I'm done." Marco said, taking up a fighting stance. Kelly pushed herself to her feet and drew out her great sword.

Marco centered himself and reached out for the strange power source he'd felt since the night Eclipsa kissed him. His left hand suddenly exploded into pain, as though it had caught fire. Marco trembled as he forced his hand into the awkward hand sign for his sole dark spell.

" **Umbra!** " Marco yelled as pain burned through him. The dim light in the dome, grew even darker and purple energy surrounded Marco's hand.

"Marco!" Kelly yelled.

"STAY BACK AND BE READY!" Marco yelled, his voice laced with rage and several octaves lower than usual. Marco ran towards the spot Kelly had tried to break through, Kelly on his tail, and slammed his hand against the dome. Marco collapsed on the ground, gripping his hand.

At first, nothing happened. Kelly knelt at Marco side, but was unable to see what had hurt Marco. Then a sudden odor filled the space, the smell of long rotting plants. Kelly pulled her sweater up over her face to try and block out the sickly sweet smell.

Within moments the wall of the dome began crumbling away and rotted cornstalks began pelting the pair. Kelly wasted no time, jumping to her feet, Kelly threw herself through the rotting dome and brought her sword around, bisecting the Corn Wizard. As soon as she did so, the rest of the dome collapsed. Kelly rushed back to Marco and helped him sit up. She glanced at his hand and gasped, his arm up to the elbow was a bright, angry red.

"I said don't get hurt!" Kelly yelled, causing Marco to wince.

"Yeah, but that wasn't part of the promise." Marco said bashfully, "I wasn't expecting it to be this bad."

"Not expect...you knew this would happen?!" Kelly said, grabbing him by his hood.

"That's how I knew it wouldn't corrupt me..." Marco said with a weak grin. Kelly sighed and let him go.

'No point berating him now.' She thought, pulling a first aid kit out of her pocket dimension.

"You're going to pay for this next Thursday, you know that right?" Kelly asked, putting a salve on his arm, before wrapping it with bandages.

"That...is totally unfair." Marco protested, before Kelly jabbed him in the arm with a finger, "Ow!"

"And when we're dating, you'll get more of the same when you do dumb stuff."

"You're awfully confident that I'll choose you..." Marco muttered, as Kelly pulled him to his feet. Kelly grabbed him by his hood again and pressed a kiss to his lips. Kelly felt the butterflies in her stomach turn into fireworks.

"Oh I know I'll win." Kelly said, to a stunned Marco. "I just made sure of that."

Kelly pushed Marco back and turned towards the path out of the room.

"You coming?" she called behind her as she started walking, grabbing her discarded daggers as she went.

"I'm pretty sure that's cheating..." Marco whispered to himself, before running to catch up.

* * *

 _ _That evening__

The pair continued on relatively unhindered for several hours. The time spent trapped in the dome had apparently allowed the other contestants to duke it out and clear the path ahead. The stumbled across several Butterflies and Johansens in various states of pain and consciousness as well as the remains of several of the Maze's magical guardians.

"I hope we aren't too late...it's getting darker." Marco said, stepping around Heartrude Butterfly, who had once again managed to get himself trapped in a bear trap. The sun above was getting low and Mewni's moons were now visible in the sky.

"I don't suppose you'd be willing to help your friend's uncle out?" Heartrude pleaded, recognizing Marco.

"Sorry, dude. Against the rules." Marco said, continuing on and motioning for Kelly to do the same.

"Please! I could help you ooooooouuuuuuut..." Heartrude yelled as he was suddenly seized by the Maze's magic and flung out towards the entrance, bear trap and all.

"I wouldn't worry about it. We'd know if it someone found it." Kelly replied, as she watched the Butterfly fly. "Not to mention that your mess up early allowed us to move through here quickly. Most of the traps have been cleared."

The pair continued through the maze's twists and turns until they came upon another room that had been cleared. In the center was a man who was pulling him self along the ground towards the wall. The pair also noticed some kind of strange centaur with a corncob for a head was lying dead or unconscious on the ground.

"Uncle Slab?!" Kelly and Marco yelled at the same time. The man twitched in surprise and rolled over to see them approach, though they stopped well out of his reach.

"Miss Kelly! Marco! It's good to see you!" Slab said with a laugh, "Not getting to close, eh? Smart kids. We are still opponents after all. Maze giving you any trouble?" He asked, causing the pair to exchange a glance.

"A little, but it seems that our trouble let you guys clear the path for us." Marco said with a grin.

"What are you doing on the floor?" Kelly said, warily.

"Well, that Cornitaur over there was a bit feistier than I expected, took my leg off! The fake one, that is. I don't fancy trying to drag myself through the dirt for the rest of the night, so I was going to get myself ejected. I don't suppose you'd mind?" Slab said, gesturing towards the wall of the maze.

Kelly and Marco exchanged a look, before nodding.

"Uncle Slab, we are not helping you. We want to win so we're throwing you through the maze wall." Marco said loudly, in an exaggerated voice, as he and Kelly grabbed Slab by the arms and leg.

"Oh no, what ever will an old, one legged mewman do?" Slab said with false despair, before lowering his voice, "By the way, my niece and her boyfriend came through a few minutes ago. Might catch them if you hurry."

"Thanks Uncle Slab." Kelly said cheerfully as the pair began swinging Slab back and forth.

"No problem, Miss Kelly. Good luck!" He said as they threw him into the wall. The Maze's magic caught Slab and chucked him through the air.

"TALLY HOOOOO! LOOK OUT BELOW, HEArtu..." Slab voice trailed off as he flew out of sight and outside the magical silence.

"Come on, Marco. We're getting that corn!" Kelly said with a fierce grin before running towards the room's exit.

"Yeah..." Marco said, suddenly nervous.

* * *

 _ _Moments later__

It hit Marco like a bucket of ice water. One moment nothing, then suddenly he felt a strong and powerful magic radiating throughout the maze. He and Kelly rounded a corner and found Star on Tom's shoulders reaching for a large, glowing corncob hanging from its stalk.

"Hey!" Kelly called out, causing Tom to suddenly turn around and throwing Star off balance.

"Whoa. Easy there, Tom! Hey guys! Funny seeing you here!" Star yelled, waving excitedly.

"Come on, Starship. Grab the corn! We can win this here and now!" Tom said, turning back towards the overladen stalk. Kelly and Marco were walking towards them, but even if they ran, Star could grab the Mewnicorn with plenty of time to spare. Instead, she leaned back and flipped over on to her feet.

"Star!" Tom cried, they were so close! He'd get it himself, but fire magic was forbidden and he couldn't jump high enough to grab it alone.

"Come on, Tom! This'll be fun! We'll fight them and then the winner gets the Mewnicorn!" Star said excitedly, pulling out her wand.

"But it's right there! We won. We got here first!" Tom demanded. If they hurried they'd still have time.

"Come on. We're team Tomar, right? We can do it!" Star said, grabbing his hand and pulling him away from the Mewnicorn. Tom sighed. Star was like a freight train. Woe be to the Half-Demon hybrid who tried to stop her from getting what she wanted.

"Alright, alright. Sorry, Marco. Looks like I gotta beat you up!" Tom said with a toothy grin, drawing his sword.

"I guess Kelly's mine then." Star said, eagerly. Hopefully, Marco would still get a chance to see her in action. Tom was a tough cookie, even without his magic.

Marco and Kelly exchanged a look and grinned. They'd talked about this exact situation on the way in. The best way to put their opponents off balance was to control the battle field. The pair slapped hands and drew their weapons, before charging their chosen targets.

Tom's eyes widened in surprise as Kelly leapt into the air and brought her great sword down on him.

"Gah!" Tom yelled, barely dodging backwards and falling to the ground.

"You're mine, Prince." Kelly said evilly. Pulling her sword out of the ground, she took another swing and forced Tom to perform some impressive acrobatics to get out of the way.

As the pair moved away, Marco approached Star.

"I'll be honest. I...I don't know if I can fight you, Star. That was our plan, but...I'm your squire and we're best friends..." Marco said uncertainly, sword held loosely at his side. Star looked at him in surprise. She hadn't been prepared for this scenario. There was no possible situation in her mind where she ended up fighting Marco.

"OH HO HO HO YEAH!" Kelly yelled in the back ground, followed by the sound of her sword thumping heavily against the ground.

Star took a breath and grinned at Marco.

"Star! I need help!" Tom cried, followed by a thunderous clang of metal on metal.

"Marco...this...this is just like your karate on earth. You used to fight people there all the time. This is no different. Just two friends...uh... sparring." Star said, with a smile, but Marco was still uncertain.

Tom suddenly fell between the two of them, and started skittering back in a panic. He barely moved out of the way of Kelly's sword as it slammed into the ground where he had originally landed. She used the momentum to vault over her sword and bring it around in a follow up overhead swing.

Star held up her wand and swung it out to her side. As she did so, a blade extended from it, matching Marco's blade in size and shape.

"Whaddya say, bestie? Wanna spar?" Star said with a grin. Marco sighed and smiled.

"Yeah. Let's do this." Marco said, before taking his sword in a firmer grip. Star wasted no time and charged forward, bringing her blade in a wide arc towards Marco.

Marco brought his sword up and parried Star's initial swing, before realizing that taking Star on alone might have been a mistake. As their blades contacted, the force of Star's blow rattled his arm and sent him skidding backwards. He could tell she did not have much skill in sword fighting, but she made up for it with the insane raw strength Mewmen possessed. He was going to have to make up the difference somehow.

Marco leapt back and away from Star as she brought another wild strike down, sticking her blade deep into the dirt. Marco used the moment he'd gained by Star's reckless swing to form a hand sign. Pain shot through his arm, however, and nearly disrupted the casting.

" **O-obic!** " He yelled and felt the power rush to his extremities. A thin layer of magic coated his body and would hopefully give him the edge he needed here. He noticed Star had freed her blade, but was staring at him, stunned. Surprise quickly turned to joy, however.

"Marcooooo! Since when did you know magic?!" She said excitedly, drawing a laugh from Marco.

"Sir Lavabo's taught me a few things about being a knight." He said, scratching the back of his head with his bad hand, causing him to wince.

"Are you okay?" Star asked, suddenly worried at his reaction, taking a step closer to him and lowering her wand.

"Yeah," Marco said with gritted teeth, "Hurt my hand a bit back in the maze. Don't worry, I'm fine."

Star looked uncertain, but Marco didn't give her a chance to say anything. Marco leapt forward and delivered a strike that Star barely managed to block.

"Good enough for me...I guess..." Star said, but held her wand up. "Since you're using magic, I guess I will too! This for starters!" The blade on her wand suddenly extended and widened until it matched Kelly's favored blade. Star wasn't sure why Marco had started preferring to hang out with Kelly, but maybe it was weapon choice?

"Let's see what you've learned from Kelly!" Star yelled, as she charged forward. Marco's face fell as he saw her new blade. He had no doubt that she could wield such a blade as effortlessly as the first on and he quickly moved to the side. Her blade slammed to the ground, but she was able to quickly bring it around for a second strike before Marco could react. Her blade slammed into Marco's chest, causing Star's eyes to go wide for a fraction of a second. She didn't think a human, armored or no, could survive such a blow.

'Oh no, I got too excited again!' Star thought. The instant was over and suddenly she was knocked back by an unbelievable force. She flipped end over end and barely managed to land in a crouch, her helmet flying off into the corn maze before being launched towards the entrance. Star's hair floated down around her, partially obscuring her vision.

Marco stood before her unharmed, though most of his hoodie had been torn away.

"Dang, Star. I didn't think you'd take my shield down that quick...lucky I put it up or you'd have killed me!" Marco said, tearing the rest of his hoodie away and throwing it to the ground. He'd have to be extra careful now. The alterations he made to Obic took more magic than usual and he wasn't sure when he'd recover enough to cast it again. Marco took a moment to glance over at Tom and Kelly. Tom had finally gotten his feet under him and was fighting with Kelly. His armor was dented in several places, but he didn't seem to be too badly hurt. As for Kelly, Her sweater was torn up, but she seemed to be fine as well.

Marco looked back at Star and saw that she was getting her self back together and getting her hair out of the way.

"Kelly! I think we need to wrap this up!" Marco called. As it stood, without his armor and dimensional scissors, Star had an overwhelming advantage in their fight. The Johansen blade was incredible, but it only had his human strength behind it. He had faith that Kelly could handle Tom, but whatever his armor was made from was making him impressively durable. They would have to go with his latch ditch plan.

"Alright!" Kelly responded and began trying to move into position.

"Got a plan, huh, Diaz? Star said with a manic grin. This had been more fun than she could have hoped for. They should have sparred a long time ago! "I guess I shouldn't be surprised!"

"Yup, a Squire with a Plan is a Squire who's the man!" Marco said, grinning. Star held her wand up once more and the blade vanished in a shower of pink sparkles.

"Let's see how you like this!" Star yelled, spinning around. " **NARWHAL BLAST!** "

Marco grinned. He'd seen Star's magical spells in action for over a year and countless adventures. Marco easily dodged to the side, avoiding the magical one-eye Narwhal as it flew past him.

" **DAGGER CRYSTAL HEART ATTACK!** " Star yelled, leaping into the air. Marco was able to dodge the attack for the most part, but his shirt suffered this time, leaving large holes and revealing the abs beneath. While they were no where near Adult Marco, they were still impressive and managed to distract Star, preventing her from casting again.

Marco started to make his next move when others suddenly arrived.

"There it is! Get them!" Etheria Butterfly yelled angrily as she entered the room, her knight rushing to respond. "I will NOT have a repeat of Flag Day!"

From a separate entrance, Grunt Johansen rode in on Lump Johansen.

"Let's get those Butterflies!" Lump yelled before whinnying and charging towards the Mewnicorn.

Marco looked around in panic, but saw that Kelly was in position. Tom had stopped attack, dumbfounded at the sudden appearance of newcomers.

Marco bit his lip at the pain, but closed his eyes and formed a hand sign.

" **Lumin!** " Marco called out. An orb of light appeared above Marco drawing nearly everyone's attention. The orb existed for barely an instant before it rapidly increased in intensity, before going out. In the failing light of the end of the day, the orb dazed nearly everyone in the area and destroyed their night vision.

"Marco!" Kelly yelled, swinging the flat of her blade at him. Marco quickly leapt into the air, before being hit by Kelly's sword. He had meant to catch the flat of the blade on the soles of his feat, and then launch himself into the air, but it essentially had the same, if more painful, effect.

Marco sailed through the air and collided with the Mewnicorn. The force of the flight pulled Marco and the Mewnicorn both to the ground.

Marco groaned as he pushed himself into a sitting position. The Mewnicorn, practically glowing with magical energy.

"Kelly! We did it!" Marco managed to get out before she tackled him in a hug.

* * *

 ** **Marco's Book of Spells:****

 ** **Lumin**** \- Creates a small ball of light. Duration, color, and area of effect vary based on caster skill. Marco altered this skill to be more combat effective. By shortening the duration to an instant, Marco was able to up the intensity, allowing him to blind his enemies temporarily.

 **Dis-** Creates a wave of kinetic energy that pushes foe away from the caster. Damage and area of effect vary based on skill of caster

 ** **Igni**** \- (Mentioned) Creates a blast of fire. Power and area of effect vary based on skill of caster and their creativity.

 ** **Obic**** \- Creates a magical shield that can block physical and magical attacks. Defensive ability varies based on skill of caster. Enough force will overwhelm and collapse shield. Through practice, Marco altered the spell, lowering the amount of damage it could absorb, but causing incoming force to be rebounded onto the attacker.

 ** **Umbra**** \- A Dark Spell. Umbra is a dark magic spell that draws on a different, unknown source of power. The spell corrodes the target of the spell, crumbling stone, rotting flesh, and rusting metal. As a dark spell, it exacts a price for its potent power and as such Umbra burns the caster's hand while its being cast.

 **Code Duello-** A spell that binds two Knights preparing to duel. It allows them to feel each others feelings to create a sense of understanding between them. This preferably would end the duel with the Knights coming to an understanding, but otherwise enforces the terms of the duel. It creates a physical mark on the participants.

* * *

Author's Notes:

I just wanted to say that I'm sorry that I keep you guys waiting so long between chapters. Several people have asked about whether or not I have an update schedule and the truth is that I don't. I try to write a new chapter when I have the time to do so and more importantly, when I can work up the motivation to do so. I've sat down a few times in the last three weeks trying to work up the will to write this chapter and each time I've failed and ended up putting it off. Writing is hard.

I ended up watching Markiplier's play through of Hearts and Heroes this morning and it ended up giving me the motivation I needed to start writing so here we are.

That said, thank you all so much for your kind words and patience. I really love this story and it truly warms my heart that so many people seem to enjoy it as well. I don't consider myself to be a particularly gifted writer, so I mostly attribute it to the fact that Kellco is kind of an awesome ship and that there isn't many Kellco stories in circulation right now.

I also wanted to note that this is the final chapter of what can be considered Phase One of MKVU. All the chapters so far, including this one, are pre-Stump Day and consider all episodes up through Stump Day to be canon for this story. Chapter 11 is where we will start to move away from the Show in terms of plot and nothing will be considered canon from Season 3B unless I specifically mention it to be so. That said, I'll be changing the spoiler alert starting next chapter to say that the story may contain spoilers up through the end of Season 3. Just in case.

There you have it! Chapter 10 of MKVU!

Hope you guys enjoyed the Chapter!

*Stay Determined*


	11. Consequences

Marco and Kelly vs. The Universe

* * *

Chapter 10.5: Consequences...

 _ _Location Unknown__

 **She awoke screaming, as she did every day for the last hundred years, in pitch blackness. Each night she slept, vivid, crystal clear dreams came to her. Dreams of** **that** **day. Some days she awoke in pure terror, remembering the pain and agony she had experienced on that fateful day. When they bound her to that** _ **damn**_ **table and painstakingly carved runes into her skin over the course of three agonizing days.  
**

 **She wasn't sure how she had survived the blood loss. They collected each drop she had shed and there was a lot of it. At the end of the third day, they mixed her blood together with an unknown brown liquid that she only later found out was chocolate. The grotesque mixture was then used to draw a magic circle around the table. Again, three long days as they drew the runes ever so carefully.**

 **By the end of the sixth day, she was mad with delirium from the blood loss, hunger, and lack of water. She should have been dead, but somehow they had kept her alive.**

 **They began casting the spell on the seventh day. For twenty four hours, she writhed in agony as the spell ravaged her mind, body, and soul. As they tried to resurrect...her.**

 **She smiled, breathing heavily. Most days, that is what she dreamed of. She relived those memories over and over again. Even now, a century later, she could remember everything. A side effect of the ritual, she supposed.**

 **Some days, however, were like today.**

 **The smile turned to a grin, and a moment later the grin turned to manic glee and exhilaration flooded her body with adrenaline.**

 **Her dream last night was what happened after the ritual failed...for the most part. The Mages of the Cult of Eclipsa had made several fatal errors. The first of which was not ensuring the death of their Goddess prior to trying to resurrect her.**

 **The second...was trying in the first place.**

 **Rather than resurrect Eclipsa, the spell infused her prepubescent body with Dark Magic. The exposure granted her access to powers beyond her imagining and she turned that power onto the Cultists, tearing them apart body and soul.**

 **She reveled in the bloodshed. When she was done, she slipped away into the shadows and slept. So began the first night that she relived the horror.**

 **Unfortunately, when she awoke, she was bereft of Dark Magic. The spells she had used to torment the cultist had faded from her memory and left her with a narcotic craving for the power she could no longer reach. It had, however, left her with two gifts she hadn't had before. She had been granted access to normal magical power, a skull and crossbones now adorning her cheeks, and the ability to pass through the shadows that touched all dimensions.**

 **She licked her lips, sweat pouring down her face, and pushed her self out of her bed.**

 **Now, when she dreamed of the glorious terror she had rained down on the cultists, she knew it was Feeding Day.**

 **She closed her eyes and the marks on her cheeks flared to life. Around her room, candles flared to light, pushing back the darkness and revealing her nude form. Despite the passing of years, her skin was smooth and perfectly pale. She opened her eyes and casually walked over to a large vanity mirror that sat directly across from her bed. She looked on her pale form with eyes of the deepest violet. Long, dark hair curled about her form, making her skin seem even paler. She traced her lips with her finger, and as she did, they darkened until they were pitch black.**

 **She smiled again. She was as beautiful as she was when she turned twenty, those many decades ago.**

 **Her cheeks still glowing, she reached out to the darkness that had been pushed to the edges of her room. The darkness defied the natural laws of the multiverse and flowed to her, enveloping her body. A moment later, the darkness retreated, leaving her clad in a dark dress that was as light and wispy as the darkness that formed it.**

 **Her craving gnawed at her. The need she felt for Dark Magic. Although she had manipulated the darkness to create her dress, it was still based on normal, pure magic. Centering her self, she gave her image a once over. She was a perfect beauty, which was well because that was the weapon she used to lure her prey. She smirked at herself, before turning on her heel and striding towards the wall.**

 **Her shadow grew larger and large as she drew closer. Placing her hand on the wall, she pressed forward and into the shadow.**

 **It was time to hunt.**

* * *

 **She returned a few hours later with her prey. The monster, gazelle-like in her features, had come with her willingly. She had whispered wicked, honeyed words into her ear, mesmerizing her, and drew her into the shadows. Monsters were the easiest prey, especially in Mewni. No one with any real power asked questions if a monster disappeared every so often. With all the turmoil lately, it had been even easier.**

 **Before she knew it, the monster was strapped to a table, like she had been those many years ago. She had refused to bind them, at first, hoping their infatuation would be enough to hold them in place. Then she grew tired of chasing them about her lair, and hunger forced her to adapt.**

 **She caressed the monster's cheek lovingly, running a finger along her antlers. The monster shivered in delight, not yet aware of her peril. That wouldn't do. Fear made one much more lively, which was perfect for what she intended. She drew her finger back down to her prey's cheek and drew a line across her cheek, drawing blood.**

 **"** H-hey! This isn't what we talked about! **" The gazelle woman protested.**

 **"I'm sorry, my love, but we won't be doing those things. Tonight, you are my sacrifice. My prey."** **She whispered lovingly. Lovingly, for she did love those she preyed upon.**

 **Without them, she would be so much dust, or at the very least a doddering hag on the verge of becoming dust. She felt the fear in the monster spike at her words. She allowed the spell she had cast over the woman, to make her more pliable, to fade. All at once, the monster's fear kicked into overdrive.**

 **"** W-what are you going to do to me? **" The monster asked fearfully. She never understood their need to know. Perhaps they needed a sense of control...**

 **"I went to see her...the true love of my life. Many times actually." She said instead. She wanted the woman on the edge of madness before the end.**

 **"** W-who? **"**

 **"Eclipsa, Queen of Darkness. She was the source of so much pain for me. I thought she was dead, but the shadows hold _so_ many secrets. When I found where she was, I couldn't resist seeing the woman who indirectly caused so much pain for me. She was beautiful, encased in that crystal. I went everyday for a year. The shadows whispered the truth of her to me, and I couldn't help but fall in love." She said, walking slowly around her bound prey.**

 **"More than that, she knew how to get what I wanted, what I desperately need. That hidden power. Alas, I could not free her and I seemed fated to only gaze upon my love's frozen form. My visits became less frequent. I had other work to do; but then it happened. I felt it in my soul the moment she was freed for but a moment. I saw it. That dark spell that binds Queens. The craving that had faded to the background returned in me a hundred-fold." She shuddered, she felt it even now. The monster was shivering violently, now. Almost there...**

 **"I was driven to the edge of despair when that snake-armed fool sealed her away again and it nearly killed me when Moon the Undaunted cast that dark spell. I could feel it, dimensions away. I raged with jealousy, but I was contented to bide my time and plot. If she could be freed..." The monster woman was foaming at the mouth now, thrashing at her bonds. It was time...**

 **She reached deep down for the magic she needed and her hand flared bright green. The monster woman stopped moving and stared at her.**

 **"Your life shall give me...gah!" she cried, the magic fading from her hand. It had happened again! Less this time. A candle compared to a bonfire, but there nonetheless! Someone had touched the dark source and used a Dark Spell. That could only mean one thing.**

 **"Eclipsa is free! My love is free!" she cried joyously, dancing around the room. The sudden change in her captor's mood allowed the gazelle-woman to pull back from the abyss of fear and madness, if for a moment.**

 **"** Who...who are y-you? **" The monster asked in disbelief. She suddenly turned her attention back to her prey.**

 **"Ah yes...first things first. My love...I am the Dark Witch, Noxia." Her hands suddenly glowed green again. Noxia gently placed them on either side of the monster's face and pressed a kiss to her lips. "Thank you for your offering."**

 **Noxia undid the straps binding her prey to the table, but decided she would clean up later. There were preparations to be made.**

 **The poor monster woman floated slowly upward, mouth open, eyes wide...and pitch black.**

* * *

*Stay Determined*


	12. One Punch Marco

Marco and Kelly vs. The Universe

As always, thanks to everyone who has read, reviewed, favorite/followed, or PMed me.

*SPOILER ALERT*

This story may contain spoilers up through Season 3.

If you see any glaring spelling/grammatical errors, let me know in a PM. I'll be rereading this over the next few days for proofing. I'm still finding errors in other chapters and fixing them as I go along.

* * *

Chapter 11: One Punch Marco

 _ _Castle Butterfly, Marco's Room  
__ _  
"_ _ _This will be the day we've waited for. This will be the day we open up the door. I don't wanna hear your absolution. Hope you're ready for a revolution!__ _"_

Marco groaned as his phone alarm went off, dragging him from his blissful slumber. He finally had his first day off in weeks, and he forgot to turn off his alarm. For once, he didn't have any training with Sir Lavabo who was occupied with...something...and Star and told him to take the day off. He was more than happy to oblige given how hard Star had been running him lately.

 _"_ _ _This will be the day we've waited for. This will be the day we open up the door. I don't wanna hear your absolution. Hope you're ready for a revolution!__ _"_

His phone sung again, looping. Marco turned over in his bed and squinted at the light streaming through the room, straight over his pillow and into his eyes.

" __This will be the day we've waited for. This will be the day we open up the door. I don't wanna hear your abso...__ _"_

Marco reached over to his nightstand and hit the snooze button on his phone, before falling back into bed. He had a few options now. He could get up and see what the day held for him. Get in a bit of practice with his scissors or magic, get some breakfast, maybe call Kelly. Or he could go back to sleep for a few hours. His night shirt had ridden up slightly in his sleep and he used the opportunity to scratch his stomach idly as he considered his options. He idly noted his abs were back...

 _ _Of course they were.__ _ _It'd been years since he moved in to Castle Butterfly...__

"Maybe just a quick nap..." Marco muttered to himself, before sighing contently and pulling the covers over his head.

A sudden rumble, like an earthquake on steroids, shook Marco's room, causing him to sit up and throw his blankets back. That was all the warning he got before his wall exploded. A giant fist burst through the wall and tried to grab him, but his finely honed squire's instincts allowed him to dodge out of the way. The hand retracted and another burst through the ceiling, slamming Marco to, then through, the floor.

Marco twisted in the air so that he faced the ground he was rapidly plummeting towards, the courtyard where Star had first met Eclipsa, it seemed.. He held his hand out in a familiar hand sign.

" **Obic!** " Marco shouted and instant before he slammed into the ground. Marco had managed to angle the magical shield so that his vertical momentum converted into horizontal momentum and he rolled along the ground until he managed to get his feet under him. He brushed some dust off his now ragged jam jams and noted that his shield had collapsed.

"My room!" Marco said in stunned disbelief as the debris from all of his worldly possessions rained down around him. He glanced around him and felt a bit of relief, however. He managed to not land in one of the many rose bushes in the garden.

Beyond his room, Marco could see that much of the Castle had been destroyed or was on fire. He spun around trying to assess whatever was attacking the Castle, and only barely managed to bring his guard up as some sort of humanoid appeared in his blind spot and slammed a fist into him. He managed to keep his feet for a fraction of a second before being thrown into a wall by the force of the blow.

Marco coughed as he pushed himself to one knee. He could feel a rivulet of blood run down the side of his face and reached up to check the wound. He winced in pain as he felt the cut, but it seemed shallow.

The creature that hit him approached slowly, allowing him time to get a good look at it. Marco's eyes widened slightly as he saw the creature. It appeared to have been sewn together poorly from parts of the guardians of St. Olga's School for Wayward Princesses. Stitches wound around its body and it appeared as though its muscles would burst through the seams. It wore the same mask as the guardians of the reform school, but it appeared to be in much shabbier condition than when Ms. Heinous was the Headmistress. One eye was sewn shut, and its clothing seems to be patched together from the guards' uniforms.

"That hurt...What the heck are you?" Marco said as the creature stared down at him.

"What are we? That's rude. We are the creations of Princess Meteora." The creature rumbled, never taking its single eye off of Marco.

"Did you say we?" Marco asked, concerned. He tried to step back, but he felt his back press up against a wall.

"You may call us...Meteorans. We were crafted from the remains of the guards of Princess Meteora's Reform School. Therefore, we serve her will." The creature said in an even tone. As he spoke, similar creatures appeared, some falling from the sky and landing in a crouch, other digging their way out of the ground. Still more climbed or simply broke through the walls of the courtyard and began surrounding the Squire.

"Princess Meteora desires revenge against Mewni. This is our desire as well. Her command is to eliminate all of you. Since we began our operation, seventy percent of all Mewnians have died. This isn't a battle, but an extermination." The Meteoran stated simply, drawing a ragged gasp from Marco.

"This is unexpected, however. Every Mewnian we've encountered has fallen with a single blow."

"Oh yeah? Same here." Marco said fiercely. Surprisingly, it was true. Every fight he could remember had ended in a single blow.

 _ _Wait...no...that wasn't...__

"It's been too long since I've come across such worthy opponents!" Marco said, grinning. "Scrap heaps!

The Meteoran suddenly growled in rage. "WE ARE METEORANS!"

Marco dodged out of the way as its fist demolished the wall he had been leaning against. Marco roared as he swung his own fist at the monstrosity.

" **DIS!** " Marco yelled as his fist slammed into the creature's chest. The Meteoran froze where it stood, before its back exploded outward in a shower of oil and mechanical parts. The other Meteorans took a step back in surprise. They had been told they were invincible and that had proven true...until now.

"What?!"

"How?!"

"Mewman bastard!"

"DIE!" One of the Meteorans yelled as it suddenly rushed Marco. Marco dodged out of the way as it brought its fists down in an overhead smash, before leaping up and kicking another of the Meteorans in the face. Marco used the momentum from his kick to propel himself over the Meteorans and out into the courtyard where he would have more room to maneuver.

The Meteoran's began rushing him all at once. The creatures rained punches and kicks down on Marco who only barely managed to slide, roll, and dodge out of the way of each hit. As Marco rolled to his feet, one of the Meteorans suddenly spun around landed a rib-crushing blow, sending him flying. He rolled as he hit the ground, coming to a stop in a crouch. As he did so, however, a group of the monsters leapt into the air and slammed their fists down upon him, shattering the ground with the force of their blows.

The creatures were surprised to find that Marco had managed to guard against the blow, though blood was now flowing freely from multiple cuts on his body. His body shook with the effort of holding the outrageously strong creatures, but managed to form both hands into hand signs that were both familiar and unfamiliar.

" **SPHAEDIS!** " __I don't know that spell...do I?__

Magical energy rushed out of Marco's body in every direction, blasting the creatures that surrounded him off their feet and through the walls of the Rose Garden.

More of the monsters continued their onslaught, not hesitating a moment as their allies were pasted against the ground and walls of the courtyard. Marco's eager fists and kicks eagerly met them, one them falling and never rising again with each strike. Marco leapt over one of the beasts as it rushed him and grabbed its head, before swinging it around and smashing a group of its friends.

As soon at he was clear of them, however, a Meteoran that was twice the size of the previous ones burst up out of the ground and smashed Marco's entire body with its fist. Marco was blasted out of the Rose Garden and flew through the air towards the town below. It was mostly destroyed already, with few houses remaining. He could see the dead and dying littering the streets and Meteorans chasing down those few who yet lived.

"Not good, not good!" Marco yelled as he picked up speed. It was too soon to cast Obic again. The few remaining townspeople panicked and ran as he flew towards one of the houses that still stood. An instant before he impacted the building, a green blur appeared and caught him, causing them both to slam through the building completely destroying it.

As rubble rained down around them, Marco found himself in the arms of a grinning Kelly. She'd aged beautifully, her body was well toned, but not overly muscled. Her face had lost its baby fat and the result had turned her from pretty, to absolutely stunning. She wore the same glasses of her youth, but her outfit had otherwise changed. Gone were the shorts and sweaters, replaced with durable khaki pants with multiple pockets and a white tank top. Over the tank top was a red hooded short sleeved half-hoodie that appeared to have been made from one of his old hoodies. The last thing he noticed was her hair tied up in a high pony-tail. She looked amazing.

"Saved you again, Marco Diaz." She said with a smirk, her voice husky. "Might be easier to fight if you weren't wearing that princess dress."

Marco looked down and saw that he was indeed wearing the same dress that Star had conjured for him those many years ago.

 _ _How had that...__

The ruins of the house they were in suddenly exploded, destroying what was left. The entire town was ablaze now, as multiple Meteorans gathered around the rubble where Marco had been moments before.

"It's over..." One of the Meteorans muttered, still stunned by the power Marco had displayed.

"What was that Mewman?" Another said.

"He was so strong!" Growled a third.

"Who? Me?" Someone said, from behind the assembled children of Meteora. "I'm just a guy who's a Squire for fun."

A collective gasp was uttered by the Meteorans as Marco approached them, seemingly unbothered by the flames surrounding him.

"I never lose," Marco said, glaring at them. The creatures all took a step back, suddenly fearful. Marco slammed his fist against his now bare, muscled chest. "And Mewni...is guarded by me!" He roared.

"Big talk for a race of bug men!" One of the Meteorans taunted as a group of them found their courage and rushed him. The creatures leapt to dog pile on the squire, but Marco dug deep for the magic within him and cast another spell.

" **Sphaedis!** " Once more blasting the smaller Meteorans into oblivion. Marco then launched himself into the air at one of the giant Meteorans. Roaring he brought his fist back. He aimed a blow at the creature's face and cast another spell at the moment of impact.

" **GRANDIS!** " The combination of his fist and spell smashed the giant Meteoran against the ground so hard it flew back into the air. Another of the giants appeared in his blind spot and swung an enormous fist at him. As he fell through the air, Marco grimaced and braced for the blow, knowing he wouldn't be able to turn in time.

"MARCO! **RAINBOW FIST BLAST!** " Star suddenly appeared, flying in on an angry Cloudy, and launched a spell of rainbow light at Marco. Marco brought his legs up and an instant before the spell hit him, instead kicked his legs out and used it as a launch pad. Marco flew over the Meteoran's blow and blasted him with another Grandis, slamming him into the other Meteoran before it could hit the ground.

The first Meteoran managed to recover and spun to face Marco as he flew through the air.

" **TITANIC NARWHAL BLAST!** " Star cried out. From her wand a giant, cruise-ship-sized narwhal flew out and slammed into the Meteoran's back, knocking it off balance.

Marco reached for his magic to strike the Meteoran he was facing as it swung a blow at him, but Kelly was suddenly there, greatsword in hand, and sliced through the creature's forearm. The arm flew through the air and spewing oil, and Marco used it as a launching platform to spin to face the original giant Meteoran.

The creature reared back and threw a punch at him and Marco prepared his own.

' _ _What is this feeling coming over me?'__ Marco thought as the Meteoran's fist impacted his body. Marco reared back as the fist pushed him through the air and delivered a blow, shattering the bones in the fist.

' _ _This wild throbbing in my heart...'__ The two creatures spun around in a last ditch effort to kill Marco and slammed their fists into him at the same time, sandwiching him.

' _ _This rush...this sensation...'__ Marco's heart pounded in his chest.

" **SPHAEDIS!** " He yelled, blasting the fists away from him.

' _ _It's been so long...'__ His duties guarding and advising Star had prevented him from leaving the castle very often...

' _ _I'd forgotten...'__ Marco said, rising in the air above the two giants that had done their best to kill him. Forming a new pair of hand signs, Marco roared in excitement.

"THE EXHILARATION OF A REAL FIGHT! **MALIGNIS!** " Marco screamed at the top of his lungs, cheeks burning as he felt the glowing crescent moons appear on his cheeks, suddenly unleashing a torrent of white-hot flames. Both Meteoran's screamed as the were burned to ashes, leaving nothing but slagged metal behind.

Marco landed on the roof of a collapsed building, somehow managing to not be hurt by the landing. He pushed himself to his knees, and looked up to the sky just in time for rain to begin pouring down, dousing the burning village. Marco panted heavily as he let the cool water run down his face, cheek marks now gone.

' _ _It's all coming back to me now...this is it!'__ Marco thought, joy rushing through his soul, despite the destruction around him.

"Marco!" Star and Kelly shouted as they suddenly appeared, rushing up to him. He started to smile when a dark red shape suddenly appeared out of the sky and landed in front of the trio.

"WELL, WELL. IT LOOKS LIKE YOU'VE BEEN TAKING GOOD CARE OF MY GRANDCHILDREN, MEWMAN!" Marco recognized the creature as the Monster from Eclipsa's Monster Temple Portrait and took up a fighting stance.

' _ _This is it!'__ Marco thought, grinning.

"LET'S SEE HOW YOU FAIR AGAINST THE TRUE MEWNIAN KING!" The Monster's arms flashed forward and grabbed Kelly and Star in each fist.

"Marco!" Star cried out in pain as the Monster squeezed her..

"Marco!" Kelly echoed, struggling in the Monster's grasp.

"YOU CAN ONLY HAVE ONE, MARCO! CHOOSE!" The Monster roared, laughing. Marco took a step back, looking from girl to girl.

"Marco!" Kelly cried out.

"Marco! Help!" Star yelled.

"Marco!"

"Marco!"

Marco closed his eyes, chose, and ran forward. Drawing all the magic he had left, he made a complicated hand sign with both hands.

' _ _THIS IS THE FEELING I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR!'__

 _"_ _ _ **ULTIMA!**__ _"_ Marco glowed with intense white light as he roared his defiance at the Monster King.

" __This will be the day we've waited for. This will be the day we open up the door. I don't wanna hear your absolution. Hope you're ready for a revolution!__ _"_

"MARCO!"

* * *

 _ _Castle Butterfly, Marco's Room__

 _"_ _ _This will be the day we've waited for. This will be the day we open up the door. I don't wanna hear your absolution. Hope you're ready for a revolution!__ _"_ _ _  
__

"MARCO! Wake up already!" Star yelled at her Squire for the fifteenth time, shaking him as she did so. "Come on! You're all gross and sweaty, and it's Stump Day! We've got to get ready!"

Marco suddenly started awake, breathing heavily and only somewhat surprised to have start looming over him and shaking him to the waking world. Marco reached over and grabbed his phone, turning it off before his alarm looped again, checking the time as he did so. It was 5 AM. Star had changed his alarm time.

"Staaaar. Come on. It's way too early." Marco groaned and flopped back on to the bed. His dream was quickly fading from his memory, but he could remember the gist of it. Fighting a bunch of giants, using crazy-powerful spells, having to choose between Star and Kelly...having to chose between Star and Kelly. He was running out of time to do that. Kelly was getting impatient.

"Marco, it is Stump Day! As your Princess, I order you to get out of bed and come help me get everything ready! Come on! It's gonna be fuuun!" Marco sighed at her order. Sometimes, she treated him less like her bestie and more like her servant. It was getting increasingly common...

"Alright, I'm getting up. Get out so I can change." Marco groaned, sitting up. He saw that Star was already fully dressed, wearing her favorite octopus dress and a maroon winter coat with fluffy white fringe and matching hat (with devil horns). She looked liked she was about to argue, but ultimately shrugged and left with a mischievous smile. Once she was gone, he sighed again.

"It's just as well. I've got a lot to do today anyway. After all, it is her birthday." Marco said with a smile. He remember his dream again, and the choice looming ahead of him.

"I have got to stop watching anime before bed..." Marco muttered before removing his sweat soaked shirt.

Moments later, Star kicked down his door, but he was already dressed. _  
_

* * *

 ** **Marco's Book of Spells:****

 ** **Lumin**** \- Creates a small ball of light. Duration, color, and area of effect vary based on caster skill.

 **Dis-** Creates a wave of kinetic energy that pushes foe away from the caster. Damage and area of effect vary based on skill of caster

 ** **Igni**** \- (Mentioned) Creates a blast of fire. Power and area of effect vary based on skill of caster and their creativity.

 ** **Obic**** \- Creates a magical shield that can block physical and magical attacks. Defensive ability varies based on skill of caster. Enough force will overwhelm and collapse shield.

 ** **Umbra**** \- (Mentioned) Effect is currently known only to Eclipsa and Marco.

 **Code Duello-** A spell that binds two Knights preparing to duel. It allows them to feel each others feelings to create a sense of understanding between them. This preferably would end the duel with the Knights coming to an understanding, but otherwise enforces the terms of the duel. It creates a physical mark on the participants.

 **Sphaedis** \- A spell Marco dreamed about. A more powerful variation of Dis that requires two hand signs. Kinetic energy flows out from the user's body in every direction in a sphere blasting those it comes into contact with away. Useful for giving the user space to breathe when under attack from multiple foes. It is unknown if this is a real spell, or just a part of Marco's dream world.

 **Grandis-** A spell Marco dreamed about. A more powerful version of Dis that Marco was able to cast without making a hand sign. Marco cast the spell in combination with powerful punches that were able to take out foes that were many times larger than him. It condenses and amplifies the power of Dis in to a smaller area and unleashed it in a short, but devastating blast. It is unknown if this is a real spell, or just a part of Marco's dream world.

 **Malignis-** A spell Marco dreamed about. A more powerful version of Ignis that requires 2 hand signs. Intense fire engulfs the target(s) and can turn organic matter to ash and can slag, even the most resistant of metals. It is unknown if this spell is real, or just a part of Marco's dream world.

 **Ultima-** A spell Marco dreamed about. The name implied ultimate power, but Marco can't remember what it did. He woke from the dream he was casting it in and, as with most dreams, it rapidly faded from memory. It's unknown if this is a real spell, or just a part of Marco's dream world.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Sorry about the long delay here! Life has been busy, lately!

This and the next chapter were meant to be a single chapter, with what is in this chapter being mostly filler, but I decided to separate them so I could get this chapter out.

Hope you guys enjoyed the Chapter!

Until next time!


	13. Baloo Balee

Marco and Kelly vs. The Universe

As always, thanks to everyone who has read, reviewed, favorite/followed, or PMed me. I can't believe we made it over 300 reviews with the last chapter. I love you guys!

*SPOILER ALERT*

This story may contain spoilers up through Season 3.

If you see any glaring spelling/grammatical errors, let me know in a PM. I'll be rereading this over the next few days for proofing. I'm still finding errors in other chapters and fixing them as I go along.

* * *

Chapter 12: Baloo Balee

 _The Plains of Mewni_

Kelly waved one last goodbye to Marco as he grinned wearily back and closed the portal behind her. As soon as the light of the portal faded, she slumped to her knees and let out a sigh of relief. Stump Day had nearly been a fatal disaster.

Though it came from a good place, Marco had defied Mewnian tradition by celebrating Star's birthday on a day reserved for revering The Stump. Granted, she woke up that morning thinking that The Stump was nothing more than a story to frighten children and thus contributed to its wrath when it showed up mere hours ago.

It was pure luck that they had survived at the stroke of midnight.

Kelly stood up and stretched her muscles out, feeling as though she pulled something while struggling in the massive roots the Stump had wrapped around her.

It seemed to be the norm when Star and Marco were together. They had a knack for taking a normal situation and turning it into a life threatening showdown. She suddenly felt her cheeks heat up as she remember Janna calling her out earlier.

 _'Are you just mad that Marco's fighting Tom over Star instead of you?'_

She absolutely was, but she wasn't prepared for Janna to let everyone in on the secret. And then Tad showed up. And moments later, they were struggling for their lives.

Kelly checked her surroundings with the discerning eye of an experienced Huntress. No groplosaurs. No Borgovian plains tigers. None of the other predators that her tribe hunted and were hunted by on a daily basis. No surprising, though. Most were diurnal creatures and it was the middle of the night now. Despite her better judgment and years of training, Kelly let a scream of frustration tear out into the darkness.

It had been months since she had confessed her feelings to Marco, since she'd stolen their first kiss. When Marco said he needed some time, she thought it'd take a matter of days. A week at most. But the days stretched into weeks and now into months. With her feelings out in the open, she shamelessly flirted with him when others weren't around, hugged him often, and generally threw her affection for him in his face so that there could be no question that she wanted him. In addition to their weekly training with Jorby, she sought him out when he had free time (even if only a few minutes as Sir Lavabo and Star kept him outrageously busy). But he never flirted back, only blushed and stuttered (which was pretty good in its own way, she supposed). He hugged her back, but never initiated it. And when she brought it up, he always asked for a little more time. What did she have to do? Trap him in some sort of magical photo booth and force him to confess?

"AND THEN HE GETS IN A FIGHT WITH HER BOYFRIEND RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!" She screamed, furious at the apparent density of the boy she crushed on. A sudden flurry of motion erupted around her as hidden creatures fled in fear. The first scream had startled and awoken them, the second scream had sent them fleeing. She ignored it. She could handle any threat the plains threw at her and she needed to vent.

She gritted her teeth and wiped away tears she hadn't noticed were sliding down her cheeks. She liked Marco, but if he wasn't going to choose, maybe it was time for her to move on.

She glanced around until she spotted a grove of Hairbiscus bushes. Hairbiscus bushes were a plant native to Mewni's plains region and to the untrained eye they looked like a large clump of curly green hair the exact shame shade as Kelly's hair. Kelly's people had used them for hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years as a method of camouflage and some where along the line they had evolved curly green hair to help them blend in.

Kelly's tribe was undoubtedly mewman. Their ancestors had come over on the same ships as Star's had, but after the initial tribulations of their first year, Kelly's people left what would become the Butterfly Kingdom and settled in the plains south of what would later be the Johansen Kingdom. Mewman biology is incredibly versatile and as such it rapidly adapted to the plains in a way that allowed them to not only survive, but thrive among the creatures of the plains.

Their greatest advantage was when their bodies gained the ability to create a pocket dimension in their hair. Well the women, anyway. Unlike the mewmen in the Butterfly Kingdom, when Kelly's tribe went through mewberty, the women created a pocket dimension in their hair with which to trap boys. The most powerful women in her tribe could maintain entrances to their hair in multiple dimensions, effectively creating portals that they could move and travel through, but Kelly wasn't that skilled...yet.

Also of note, there was an extreme sexual dimorphism amongst her people. Women appeared as Kelly did, women with long green hair and ample strength, despite having slender bodies. They were huntresses on the plains of Mewni, if they stayed, though many took up adventuring and left for distant horizons.

Men, however were like Tad. Short, stumpy, and more often than not, pacifistic to a fault. Her father was a notable exception and possibly the only male in her tribe to actively seek adventure. Most were like Tad, however, content to latch on to a huntress and life safely nestled in their hair.

That was perhaps the most attractive thing about Marco. He was a warrior. Perhaps a fledgling one, but one none the less.

Kelly sighed and approached the bushes and checked for signs of others from her tribe. Tad had disappeared in the confusion with the Stump and she didn't want to give him a chance to wiggle back into her hair.

Satisfied that no one else was around, Kelly freed her hair from the purple hair tie she wore and pulled it around her, settling into the bushes and disappearing from view.

* * *

 _ _Kelly's Pocket Dimension__

Kelly emerged into her hairspace and let out another sigh of relief. It was good be home. She kicked her boots off and tossed her scarf to the floor where they quickly disappeared into another portion of her dimension. Her sweater, pants and undergarments soon followed and she moved quickly to where she stored her wash basin.

Since Tad had moved out, she had been able to clean and redecorate the place to her liking. No longer were discarded pizza boxes, garbage, and posters from bad movies littering her home. In light of her experience at the Lava Lake Beach, she had replaced them with things she enjoyed. Posters of bands she liked, shelves of things she'd collected on her various adventures, and perhaps most importantly, pictures of her and her friends hanging out.

Kelly reached down into her hair and pulled out a large jug of water and emptied it into the basin, then pulled out a bar of soap and a wash rag. She dipped the cloth into the water and began slowly cleaning the dirt, sweat, and splinters she'd gathered over the course of the day. That was one downside to living in her pocket dimension. Sure, it was relatively safe, no rent, and for some reason, the perfect temperature all year long, but she couldn't figure out how to get running water. It didn't matter though. She'd grown up this way, and while she enjoyed a hot bath or shower, this way felt more like home.

Kelly smiled to herself. The best part was, she felt she could wash the troubles of the day away with her evening ritual.

"Hey, Kelly. Looking niiiice!" Someone said, prompting Kelly to shriek. Instinctively, Kelly grabbed the water basin and hurled it in the direction of the voice. In the same motion she reached down and pulled a pastel yellow towel out of her hairspace and wrapped it around her, before pulling out a great sword and brandishing it at the intruder just at the bowl struck it, shattering into pieces and knocking the figure to the ground.

It only took her another instant to realize who her intruder was.

"Kellehhhhh." Tad moaned as he lay collapsed on the ground. "Kellehhhhhhh."

"Damn it, Tad! I told you to get out of my hair!" Kelly said, leveling her weapon inches from his face. "What are you doing here?!"

"Kellehhhhh..." Tad moaned again, unfazed by the blade in his face...right until she started pushing the blade through his hair. Tad jumped back in shock.

"Kelly! What are you doing, girl? First you hit me with a bowl then you try to poke me with your sword? Not cool!"

Kelly growled at him through grit teeth and began stalking towards the diminutive man.

"What. Are. You. Doing. In. My. Hair. Tad."

"Baby girl...once that stump thing appeared I jumped back in to your hair. I figured it'd be OK since we're back together now. I mean...you came in and...uh...got naked without saying anything so I figured everything was cool!" Tad said, backing up until his back hit the wall of her hairspace. He wasn't near the entrance so he might as well have backed up against a stone wall.

"YOU WERE HERE THE WHOLE TIME?!" Kelly yelled before slamming the blade into the wall next to Tad's head.

"Y...yes?" Tad said meekly.

"I should beat the day lights out of you, Tad..." Kelly said trembling. She wanted to. He definitely deserved it.

"Kelly...I just want us to be together again. We're so good together! I...I miss you! I wrote you a poem too!"

"No, Tad."

"Roses are red...your hair is blue..." Tad began reciting. Kelly pushed the blade deeper into the wall and leaned closer. Seeing this, Tad puckered his lips and waited for the kiss he knew was coming.

"No, Tad. We are over." Kelly said fiercely. "Now and forever. I don't love you anymore. I don't even like you. You are a pain. A nuisance. If we were the last mewmen on Mewni, I still wouldn't get back together with you, Tad!" Kelly screamed the last part.

"What are you saying, babe?" Tad asked, genuinely confused.

"I love Marco now." Kelly said firmly.

"I love Marco too! We should totally hangout with him soon!" Tad said, suddenly excited by the turn in the conversation.

"No, Tad. I _love_ him. I want to be _his_ girlfriend. Not yours." Kelly said angrily. If the jerk was lucky. It's rude to keep a lady waiting.

"MARCO? You left me for my best friend?!" Tad said, showing rare anger as her words finally sunk in.

"I didn't leave you for him, but I did fall for him. We started hanging out after Lava Lake Beach and...I love him now."

"Lava Lake...that jerk! I thought he was trying to help me! I thought he liked Star! He played me!" Tad pushed away from the wall and struck a dramatic pose. "My own best friend and my girl...behind my back!"

"Tad..." Kelly said, pulling the sword from her wall and turning to face him. Tad turned back to her with real anger on his face.

"How could you, Kelly. He was my best friend. He's not from our tribe! HE'S NOT EVEN MEWMAN. It's disgusting!" Tad roared. Well squeaked anyway.

"Get out, Tad. Say another word. Do anything, but walk towards that exit and leave my hair forever and the next thing I put a hole in is you." She said trembling with rage.

What Tad said struck a chord in her because she knew that many in her tribe would feel the same. Marrying...dating outside the tribe wasn't exactly forbidden, but it was highly discouraged. Dating a non-mewman might be forbidden though. There would certainly be questions about their...capacity for having children. They might outright forbid it on the grounds of weakening the blood of the tribe even if they could have kids.

Tad moved for the exit as quick as his legs could carry him. Half way out the exit he turned to face her.

"The elders will be furious when I tell them about this." Tad said with a smirk.

Without hesitation, Kelly hurled the sword at Tad who panicked and fell out of her hairspace, the sword following after him. Kelly slowly walked over to the entrance and reached through, searching for the hilt of the sword without actually leaving the space. When she found it, she hauled it back through. The tip had a bit of fresh blood on it. It probably barely grazed the little jerk, but he would surely make it out to be a nearly mortal wound when the elders found out.

She slumped to the ground with tears in her eyes. Today was just too much static...

"Miraculous! Simply the best! Up to the test when things go wrong! Miraculous! The Luckiest! The power of love always so strong!" Kelly's mirror suddenly blared from the pile of clothes she'd left sitting a few feet away.

Kelly jumped at the sudden music filling her home and scrambled to pull out the mirror as it played Marco's ringtone. It was the theme song of some Earth show he liked and she thought it was cute. She didn't want him to see her nearly naked so she hit the button for audio only.

"H-hey, Marco! What's up?" Kelly asked, her heart pounding. Her nerves were shot for today.

"Hey, Kelly..." Marco began.

* * *

 _ _Earlier that day__

 _Castle Butterfly, Reception Hall_

Marco waved one last goodbye to Kelly before he sealed the portal up behind her. He sighed as the portal faded from view and turned back to see the ongoing party. Kelly was the first to leave that night, saying that the attack by The Stump had worn her out. For everyone else, the party was going full steam ahead, even Queen Moon was dancing wildly with River. He supposed a near death experience could have that effect on someone.

All though everything turned out alright in the end, for Marco, it felt like an unmitigated disaster. He'd acted like a jealous idiot and got into a fight over Star. In front of Kelly, no less. He was keenly aware that way too much time had passed since her initial confession to him. Especially since she'd been non-verbally throwing it in his face every time they hung out.

Star on the other hand, seemed to have her own weirdness going on. Sometimes, she'd be be her normal self with him. When they were alone or with Tom, hugs and fun abounded like they did when Star and Marco first started adventuring together. He could almost forget her own confession at the end of the year party on Earth...

Anytime they hung out with Kelly, though, she seemed like a wire drawn tight to the point of snapping. At least when she thought no one was looking. It was like she was tearing her self apart and he could guess why.

Marco watched as Star launched her self in to the air, her hood pulled up, making her look adorable. Her eyes caught his for a moment and seemed to shine with affection before she waved her wand around and summoned a storm of fireworks.

It seemed clear to him that she still had a crush on him, however conflicted about it she was. He couldn't help, but feel a tiny bit of hope. Of course it was mixed with guilt. Guilt about his growing feelings for Kelly and his friendship with Tom. His dream that morning had made it clear to him though. He was going to have to make a choice. Soon.

"Marco." Someone said, behind him. Marco screamed and flung himself away from the voice that had startled him. In a flash of flame, his sword was out and was inches from Tom's face. Tom looked supremely unimpressed. Marco began to sweat. Marco thought the appearance of The Stump had settled things, but Tom looked deadly serious.

"Let's go for a walk." Tom said with such authority that Marco began following him before he realized what he was doing. It reminded Marco that he wasn't merely Possible Romantic Rival Tom. He was Prince Tom of the Underworld. For most people, when Tom said jump, they jumped and hoped they didn't get their face seared off. Marco was usually immune, given that the United States didn't have any kings, but it had caught him off guard.

"Yeah. Okay." Marco said, shaking him self and putting away his scissor-sword. He could draw it out of his hoodie pocket in an instant, if things got ugly again. Marco glanced back at the party and saw that everyone was completely oblivious of them leaving. Except Janna, who merely shot him a smirk. Marco scowled back at her and followed Tom out on to a balcony just outside the party room.

The cold air immediately struck Marco like a fist. He hadn't adapted to the winter weather of Mewni yet, his native California rarely dropping below 50 during the day time, and it had to be well below zero that night. Thankfully, it had stopped snowing.

"W-w-what d-d-did you w-want to t-t-t-talk about, Tom?" Marco said, his teeth chattering in the cold. Tom looked Marco up and down once, before his eyes started glowing red and he began muttering in Ancient Demon. Marco took a step back and reached into his pocket, but Tom's eyes quickly returned to normal as he summoned a small flame between them. The chill in the air instantly disappeared.

"Better?" Tom asked.

"Uh...yeah. Thanks, Tom. Look about earlier." Marco started, but Tom held up a hand.

"Let me stop you there, Marco. I want to say my piece first. You have a crush on Star, don't you." Tom said. It wasn't a question. Merely a statement of fact. Sweat immediately broke out on Marco's skin and he could feel it start to soak through his undershirt. "Be honest with me, dude."

"I...yeah. Yeah, I have a crush on Star, Tom. I'm so sorry, I just..." Marco said, but Tom cut him off again.

"It's okay, dude. I think I've known longer than you. That's...why I've always kinda hated you. At least I used to. Now I can't help, but consider you one of my closest friends." Tom said, sadly. He walked over to the railing of the balcony and looked up at the sky. The clouds had cleared away revealing the mysterious Mewnian night sky. The ball of heat warming Marco followed Tom and forced Marco to follow it to keep warm. Marco joined Tom and glanced up at the sky. He wondered if Mewni and Earth shared the same night sky, or if they really were from different dimensions.

"Tom..." Marco tried again.

"I love her." Tom's words caused Marco's jaw to drop. "I had a crush on her from the moment I saw her at our first Silver Bell Ball, but I was a kid and even until recently I didn't know how to deal with my emotions. It's still hard. I get so angry and even with Brian's help, it's hard to keep it in check."

Tom sighed, then looked over at Marco.

"I hate to say it, bro, but you've been making it so much harder on me. For some reason, Star is absolutely fascinated with you and I feel like sometimes I have to struggle just to get her attention. I really screwed up the first time we dated and she hated me after, but now I've got a second chance that I never thought I could and I'm so happy...but..." Tom said as his voice began pitching to a higher octave.

"Tom...I'm...I'm not trying to steal Star from you. I..." Marco said...caught off guard. Did dudes talk this openly with each other?

"I'm not sure you have a choice...you guys are bound by the Blood Moon." Tom said, despair creeping into his voice.

"What does that even mean? I couldn't find anything out about it in the Mewnian Library." Marco asked.

"You're literally soul mates now. Your souls are bound together forever. You'll be apart of each others lives now and forever, literally. That's all I really know. Other than the poem that gets recited at the ball. They call it the lover's moon, though." Tom said, clenching his fist.

"Tom..." Marco said in sudden understanding.

"Look. I...all I'm asking...from one bro to another... is that you give me a fair chance with her. Let me try to make Star happy and let me be happy. If...when it ends... I'll have no objection if the two of you get together...but...I need this, man!" Tom said as he clenched all three of his eyes shut, a trail of tears leaking from the upper eye. Marco cringed. He really never meant to hurt Tom.

"Alright, Tom. I...I won't interfere with you two anymore. I'm sorry I ever did in the first place. I...guess I wasn't thinking clearly, you know?" Tom turned and hugged Marco suddenly.

"Thanks, dude."

"So this is where you guys got off to! Am I interrupting?" Marco and Tom separated and found Star smiling at them from the door. "I noticed you guys had wandered off and well...wanted to make sure you weren't killing each other." She said with a grin.

"Hey, Starship! I just needed to talk to Marco before I headed out. You know...bro stuff!" Tom said grinning. Star gave Tom a suspicious look, but Marco seemed unharmed.

"Aww, you have to leave now?" Star whined.

"Yeah, it's getting late. Sun will be up soon." Tom said with a grin. He pressed a kiss to her cheek and vanished in a gout of flame. The ball of fire that he had cast to warm Marco began to flicker before fading.

"Come on, Marco. Let's head inside!" Star said, grabbing his hand and pulling him back in to the reception hall.

Once they were back inside, Star spun on Marco and jabbed a finger at him.

"Tom wasn't threatening you was he? You guys really need to stop fighting all the time!" Star said accusingly.

"N-no! We were just talking." Marco responded, holding his hands up in surrender.

"About what..." Star asked, eyes narrowing in suspicion.

' _Oh you know. Just about how we have a crush on the same girl and he wanted me to back off._ ' Marco thought. He couldn't tell her that though. He racked his brain as quickly as he could for an excuse.

"Well?" Star pressed. Marco could feel the sweat soaking through his hoodie now. Then it struck him.

"I'm...still kinda bummed out on the whole Jackie thing." Marco confessed. It wasn't quite a lie, it did bum him out, but it was all he had. The truth would ruin everything. "Tom was giving me advice on how to move on."

"Yeah...I guess he has experience with that..." Star said slowly. She hadn't really talked to Marco about that situation. Maybe she should have...they were supposed to be best friends and friends were there for each other after break ups. She had just been so mad about him dropping in on her...

"Well...a while back, Glossaryck was haunting me for a bit and Mom didn't believe me. She taught me something that helped though. A spell for letting go! Maybe it'll work for you?" Star offered. It might be too late to be of real help, but she wanted to be there for him too.

"Uh...ok I guess..." Marco said warily. Star gave him a dazzling grin that hurt his heart. He had to stop thinking like that. He'd promised Tom.

"Alright. Anytime you need to let go of something just say, 'Baloo Balee Baloo Balow. I let you go. I let you go.'" Star intoned.

"Seriously?" Marco asked, arching an eyebrow at her.

"Yeah! I was kinda skeptical at first, but it really helped!" Star said excitedly. "Now come on! We're going to Paaarrrtay until the sun comes up!" Star said grabbing his hand. Marco pulled his hand out of her, drawing a look of confusion from the princess.

"What's wrong Marco?" Star asked.

"I...just need a minute. I'll catch up." Marco said with a weak grin. Star looked him over, then smiled. She started walking back towards the party and as she did so turned towards him and mouthed the words to him again. Flashing Marco another smile, she sprinted off towards her birthday party.

Marco sighed and went back out on the balcony. He was startled when a crimson light suddenly bathed the balcony and it drew his eyes up to the moon. It looked just like the Blood Moon. It had happened before, but he wasn't sure what it meant. Something to do with Star, probably.

"Couldn't hurt..." Marco whispered as he thought about what Star said. He closed his eyes and began picturing all the times he felt his heart flutter because of Star. Every smile, every hug. Every awkward moment. She had said it was a spell, so he reached for that mystical source of power that fueled his knight spelled and he spoke the words.

" **Baloo Balee, Baloo Balow. I let you go. I let you go.** " Marco said. Suddenly a deafening sound slammed into him, like a massive pane of glass shattering. Marco's eyes shot up to the sky and was stunned to see what appeared to be a giant crack crossing the sky in front of the Blood Moon. Marco gasped as the Moon seemed to pulse for a beat. Then two. Then the sky suddenly faded and the regular night sky of Mewni reappeared, the two giant moons looming overhead.

"Oh, that can't be good." Marco said to no one in particular. He returned his thoughts to Star and was surprised. The intense longing he had felt for Star had faded! It wasn't gone. Not completely. But it felt like what had been a bonfire was now a flickering candle. It was like some kind of haze had been over his mind and it had cleared letting him think freely.

"Was that the Blood Moon's doing?" It chilled him to think that some outside force might have been manipulating his feelings. He decided to try something. He thought of Kelly. He thought of all the time he'd spent with her in the past few months. All the smiles. All the times she had flirted with him. That kiss...

"Mother of Karate..." Marco whispered. He knew what he wanted now. The confusion was gone. He'd deal with what ever the Blood Moon had done later, but now he had to correct a mistake he'd been making before it was too late! Marco whipped out his mirror.

"Call Kelly." He said firmly. The mirror rang. Once. Twice. Three times. Finally, on the last ring it picked up.

"H-hey, Marco! What's up?" Kelly said, setting his heart fluttering.

"Hey Kelly...would you like to go on a date with me later tonight?"

"I would love to, Marco Diaz." She replied. He could tell she was smiling. "Next time, don't make a lady wait so long. It's rude."

"I'll try to remember that." Marco said with a laugh.

* * *

 ** **Marco's Book of Spells:****

 ** **Lumin**** \- Creates a small ball of light. Duration, color, and area of effect vary based on caster skill.

 **Dis-** Creates a wave of kinetic energy that pushes foe away from the caster. Damage and area of effect vary based on skill of caster

 ** **Igni**** \- (Mentioned) Creates a blast of fire. Power and area of effect vary based on skill of caster and their creativity.

 ** **Obic**** \- Creates a magical shield that can block physical and magical attacks. Defensive ability varies based on skill of caster. Enough force will overwhelm and collapse shield.

 ** **Umbra**** \- (Mentioned) Effect is currently known only to Eclipsa and Marco.

 **Code Duello-** A spell that binds two Knights preparing to duel. It allows them to feel each others feelings to create a sense of understanding between them. This preferably would end the duel with the Knights coming to an understanding, but otherwise enforces the terms of the duel. It creates a physical mark on the participants.

 **Sphaedis** \- A spell Marco dreamed about. A more powerful variation of Dis that requires two hand signs. Kinetic energy flows out from the user's body in every direction in a sphere blasting those it comes into contact with away. Useful for giving the user space to breathe when under attack from multiple foes. It is unknown if this is a real spell, or just a part of Marco's dream world.

 **Grandis-** A spell Marco dreamed about. A more powerful version of Dis that Marco was able to cast without making a hand sign. Marco cast the spell in combination with powerful punches that were able to take out foes that were many times larger than him. It condenses and amplifies the power of Dis in to a smaller area and unleashed it in a short, but devastating blast. It is unknown if this is a real spell, or just a part of Marco's dream world.

 **Ultima-** A spell Marco dreamed about. The name implied ultimate power, but Marco can't remember what it did. He woke from the dream he was casting it in and, as with most dreams, it rapidly faded from memory. It's unknown if this is a real spell, or just a part of Marco's dream world.

 **Baloo Balee, Baloo Balow** \- A spell accidentally cast by Marco. It's unknown if this was an actual spell Moon knew, or just a misunderstanding by Star, but when Marco recited the words and filled them with magic, something happened to the Blood Moon connection between him and Star. It is unknown what effects the spell may have had on the pair and whether or not the effect is permanent.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Hope you guys enjoyed the Chapter!

Until next time!


	14. The Butterfly Effect

Marco and Kelly vs. The Universe

As always, thanks to everyone who has read, reviewed, favorite/followed, or PMed me.

*SPOILER ALERT*

This story may contain spoilers up through Season 3.

If you see any glaring spelling/grammatical errors, let me know in a PM. I'll be rereading this over the next few days for proofing. I'm still finding errors in other chapters and fixing them as I go along.

* * *

Chapter 13: The Butterfly Effect

 _ _Castle Butterfly, The Laundry Room__

Marco slumped to the ground panting after another punishing training session with Sir Lavabo. The man in question grinned down at his young squire, a sense of pride coursing though him.

"You have done well, my Squire!" Sir Lavabo beamed, "I was worried, given your sudden decline in magical skill last month, but it seems our field training and your hard work have paid off!"

Marco leaned back on his arms and panted heavily. He hadn't told Sir Lavabo, but he suspected he knew the reason for his sudden decline in skill.

* * *

 _One month ago_

With Sir Lavabo's blessing, Marco had skipped out on training and his duties the day after Stump Day. Marco told Sir Lavabo of his new relationship with Kelly and the spontaneous date that he had planned. Sir Lavabo laughed with joy at Marco's good news and bid the young couple to have a good time.

And have a good time they did. Marco had only ever had one date, prior to this one, and it had ended in total disaster with Jackie breaking up with him. That failure had paralyzed his ability to come up with a plan for their date and when he showed up at their usual sparring spot, he was in a near state of panic.

Oh, he dressed the part. He'd overdressed for his date with Jackie, but he wasn't willing to go as casual as he had been after she made him ditch the bow tie and suit jacket. Instead, he donned the red button up shirt Jackie had gifted him; the same one he had been wearing the day Kelly had first confessed her feelings for him. The remainder of his outfit consisted of his usual jeans and khaki sneakers. And of course, given that it was still late winter on Mewni, his red scarf that Kelly had given him for his birthday. But where could he take a Dimension Hopping Adventurer like Kelly? What could they do that would make their first true date memorable?

Thankfully, Kelly had known exactly the kind of date that she wanted. Thanks to their mutual friendship with Star, they had gone on a few adventures throughout the multiverse, but she had never been to Earth. She wanted to see the dimension her new boyfriend had grown up in.

And so, with a quick snip of his scissors, they arrived in Echo Creek. Marco proceeded to show Kelly all of his favorite places. He took her to Echo Creek Academy, which was mercifully deserted for winter break, where they wandered the exterior halls. Marco pointed out placed where evidence of Star's passing still scarred the school and regaled her with the stories of Star's weekly accidental attempts to destroy the school. He found showed her his locker, which he was surprisingly able to open, much to Marco's regret. Janna had apparently turned it into some sorta witchy shrine and an uncomfortable number of his personal items were featured on the altar. Marco used the opportunity to retrieve a number of the items, especially the ones with labels such as "Marco's blood."

He took her to Britta's Tacos for lunch where they were surprised when a giant bird took their order and a giant spider served them their lunch. Marco wondered where Star had sent Ludo's minions, but hadn't bothered to ask.

They next stopped by Sensei Brantley's dojo where they were enthusiastically greeted by the bizarre man-child. Sensei burst into tears when he learned that Marco was on a date and patted him on the back while telling him how proud he was and asking if Kelly had an older sister. They politely excused themselves after that.

Marco was hesitant to agree, but ultimately caved when Kelly demanded to meet his parents. Rafael and Angie were ecstatic to find their son on their door step for the first time since he left. When he told them they were on a date, they practically exploded with joy. Angie swept poor Kelly into the Kitchen to grill her on her life while Rafael had a 'Man Talk' with his son that ended with a stern warning that he should not treat Kelly as he had Jackie. Marco swore that things would be different.

As they prepared to leave, Rafael pulled Angie close and told Marco that they had news. Apparently, his parents had been 'busy' and he had a sibling on the way, though it was too early to know the gender. Marco nearly fainted at the news, but Kelly smacked him across the face a few times and he pulled himself together.

As they walked out the door, Rafael joked that they had missed Marco so much, that they were thinking of naming their new child Marco Jr. which Marco objected to. They laughed and Angie informed him that they'd already picked out names. Miguel if it was a boy and Rosa if it was a girl. As they said that, Angie looked up and smiled at her husband, eyes full of love. Seeing this, Kelly wrapped her arms around Marco and nestled her head under his chin.

It would have been a beautiful moment, but Marco panicked as his head slipped into Kelly's pocket dimension and his head ended up in her trash can.

Marco dropped her off in her dimension shortly thereafter. He watched her with curiosity as she examined some nearby bushes that looked almost identical to her hair, before she nodded in satisfaction. Turning back to him, she hugged him close and whispered in his ear. Ever so quietly, she asked him to be her boyfriend. As night had already fallen in her dimension, darkness concealed the intense blush that heated up his cheeks. Leaning close to her ear, he said yes. Smiling, Kelly tilted her head and they shared the first, sweet kiss of their budding relationship.

* * *

 _Present day_

Marco blushed at the memory. It was the first of many under the stars that night and not a hint of red tinged light to ruin the memory. The next day he returned to his normal duties, only to find that for some reason his magical ability had been hampered. Whereas before he had been able to quickly gather his focus and tap the magic deep within him, now it felt like he was struggling to cross a tightrope for the first time and couldn't keep his balance.

Sir Lavabo, of course, had picked up on the strange deficiency immediately and decided to whisk him away for field training. Marco tried to protest, but Sir Lavabo had already arranged for their shifts in the Laundry room to be covered and away they went. Two weeks of intense physical and magical training out in the wilds of Mewni allowed Marco to reclaim a large portion of the skill he had lost.

Upon returning to the Castle, Marco sought out Star, wanting to find out what he had missed and see if he could bring up the Blood Moon, only to find that King River had taken her out on a hunting trip.

With nothing else to do, Marco wandered the Castle until he found his way out to the balcony he had talked to Tom on the night of Star's birthday. With thoughts of that night burning through his head, he decided to call Kelly and see if she was free. It was incredibly late, after midnight, but there was always hope. However, the moment Marco pulled out his phone a dark ruby red light shone down, illuminating the balcony.

Marco slowly turned his gaze to the sky and was horrified by what he saw. The Blood Moon shone brightly, ominously in the sky. To his surprise, the massive crack that had appeared after he cast the Baloo Balee spell was still there, bisecting the moon and scarring the sky.

Marco watched the moon and sky for what seemed like hours before he finally noticed it. Ever so slowly, the crack was disappearing starting at the tip of each side and slowly moving inward. If it kept going at that rate, it would be mere days, perhaps a week before the crack was gone. He needed to talk to Star about it as soon as she got back.

The moment his mind touched on Star, a huge portion of the crack suddenly healed. Like a magnet to iron, Marco's mind immediately leapt to his feelings for Star and he felt his crush roar back to life. Not as intensely as it had been, but what had been embers was now a warm glowing fire.

Marco threw himself back into the castle, rolling along the floor until he struck a wall in the hallway. From his position against the wall, Marco peered outside and found only normal moonlight illuminating the balcony.

His heart raced and face burned at the warring affection he felt for his girlfriend and best friend. What was he to do? Could he talk to Kelly about it? What even was it? What would happen if he cast the Baloo Balee spell again?

Sir Lavabo was suddenly snapping his fingers in Marco's face, startling him and causing him to roll away into a crouch..

"My squire, are you alright? You appeared to have drifted off! I have been trying to get your attention for the last 10 minutes!" Sir Lavabo said, concern on his face.

"Yeah, I'm...I'm fine, Sir Lavabo." Marco said wearily. If he didn't figure this out soon, he was going to go crazy. After that night, his magical control was almost completely restored and he realized that the Blood Moon was doing something more than just binding his soul to Star's.

"I do not mean to pry, my Squire, but do you not have an appointment with a certain young lady?" Sir Lavabo said slyly.

"I did, but Star came back from her hunting trip last night and...well..." Marco trailed off. He wasn't sure if he could speak about it out loud.

"Ah..." Sir Lavabo said, kneeling next to the boy and leaning close. "Eclipsa's trial has been set for today."

"Yeah. Star wants me there as her bodyguard in case...something happens? She was pretty vague on the details, but I'm not sure what could happen. Almost no one knows about the trial and Eclipsa...doesn't seem like she's going to do anything. I mean, if she was, wouldn't she have done it by now?"

"Poor logic, my Squire. Just because a thing hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. Still, I have it on good authority that the trial will not be until tonight. If you do not dawdle to long, you may yet have time for Miss Kelly." Sir Lavabo said, standing up and offering a hand to Marco. Marco accepted the hand and was pulled to his feet.

"Yeah, okay. I'll..." Marco said, trailing off again. Technically training would go on for a few more hours.

"Go, Squire Marco. We can continue this lesson tomorrow, but remember do not be late tonight and do not wear yourself out! It is an important job that has been entrusted to you. Make me proud!" Sir Lavabo said, waving Marco away.

"Thanks, Sir Lavabo!" Marco said, dashing out of the room.

Sir Lavabo grinned after the boy, before turning away to his work.

"Time to test my new detergent!" The knight said as he approached a shelf of cleaning supplied. On the middle shelf, Sir Lavabo found what he sought. A glass vial containing a glowing green liquid of his own devising. A powerful detergent that could help to hamper the magical static that made his job so dangerous. Sir Lavabo reached for the vial and when he was a mere inch from it, the vial cracked down the side.

Sir Lavabo stared at the suddenly damaged vial, the liquid slowly leaking out.

"That...is most ominous..." Sir Lavabo muttered as he moved to clean up the now ruined vial.

* * *

 ** **Marco's Book of Spells:****

 ** **Lumin**** \- Creates a small ball of light. Duration, color, and area of effect vary based on caster skill. Marco altered this skill to be more combat effective. By shortening the duration to an instant, Marco was able to up the intensity, allowing him to blind his enemies temporarily.

 **Dis-** Creates a wave of kinetic energy that pushes foe away from the caster. Damage and area of effect vary based on skill of caster.

 ** **Igni**** \- (Mentioned) Creates a blast of fire. Power and area of effect vary based on skill of caster and their creativity.

 ** **Obic**** \- Creates a magical shield that can block physical and magical attacks. Defensive ability varies based on skill of caster. Enough force will overwhelm and collapse shield.

 ** **Umbra**** \- A Dark Spell. Umbra is a dark magic spell that draws on a different, unknown source of power. The spell corrodes the target of the spell, crumbling stone, rotting flesh, and rusting metal. As a dark spell, it exacts a price for its potent power and as such Umbra burns the caster's hand while its being cast.

 **Code Duello-** A spell that binds two Knights preparing to duel. It allows them to feel each others feelings to create a sense of understanding between them. This preferably would end the duel with the Knights coming to an understanding, but otherwise enforces the terms of the duel. It creates a physical mark on the participants.

 **Sphaedis** \- A spell Marco dreamed about. A more powerful variation of Dis that requires two hand signs. Kinetic energy flows out from the user's body in every direction in a sphere blasting those it comes into contact with away. Useful for giving the user space to breathe when under attack from multiple foes. It is unknown if this is a real spell, or just a part of Marco's dream world.

 **Grandis-** A spell Marco dreamed about. A more powerful version of Dis that Marco was able to cast without making a hand sign. Marco cast the spell in combination with powerful punches that were able to take out foes that were many times larger than him. It condenses and amplifies the power of Dis in to a smaller area and unleashed it in a short, but devastating blast. It is unknown if this is a real spell, or just a part of Marco's dream world.

 **Ultima-** A spell Marco dreamed about. The name implied ultimate power, but Marco can't remember what it did. He woke from the dream he was casting it in and, as with most dreams, it rapidly faded from memory. It's unknown if this is a real spell, or just a part of Marco's dream world.

 **Baloo Balee, Baloo Balow** \- A spell accidentally cast by Marco. It's unknown if this was an actual spell Moon knew, or just a misunderstanding by Star, but when Marco recited the words and filled them with magic, something happened to the Blood Moon connection between him and Star. Marco's crush on Star diminished greatly after the casting, but after seeing the crack the spell caused begin to repair itself, he could feel his crush returning.

* * *

Author's Notes:

I'll be honest with you guys, I've had a hard time getting the proper motivation to write lately. Work has been pretty stressful lately, and I think the hiatus is wearing on me a bit as well. I don't want to force myself to write, because I want to give you guys the best that I can.

That said, I finally got the will to get this out. It's not a great chapter, I think, and it's a bit shorter than usual at just over 2000 words, but it sets the stage for the next arc and it's got my creative juices flowing again.

Hope you guys enjoyed the Chapter!

Until next time!


	15. Calm Before the Storm

Marco and Kelly vs. The Universe

As always, thanks to everyone who has read, reviewed, favorite/followed, or PMed me.

*SPOILER ALERT*

This story may contain spoilers up through Season 3.

If you see any glaring spelling/grammatical errors, let me know in a PM. I'll be rereading this over the next few days for proofing. I'm still finding errors in other chapters and fixing them as I go along.

* * *

Chapter 14: Calm Before the Storm

 _ _Castle Butterfly, Marco's Quarters__

Marco had just finished tugging on his hoodie when a knock came at his door.

"Squire Marco, are you there?" Manfred called from the hallway, causing Marco to grimace. If Manfred was using his official title, then whatever it was was probably official business. Marco pulled out his phone and checked the time.

"Still a half hour until I'm supposed to meet, Kelly..." Marco muttered to himself before weighing his options.

On one hand, dealing with Manfred could be exhausting, given his strict adherence to formality. Not to mention if it was some sort of formal duty, it'd probably be some time consuming task that could end up making him late. It definitely wasn't Star, or she'd have kicked down his door herself...

On the other hand, he didn't exactly want to sit in the desert alone for half an hour. It was getting to be fall in the Desert Dimension that had become their favored meeting place, but that just meant that it was merely very hot, rather than unbearably so.

"Squire Marco?" Another knock from Manfred.

And perhaps more importantly, it was his duty to respond when needed in an official capacity. He wanted to be a knight in more than name. He had only sworn loyalty to Star, but he felt that, in a way, it extended to Mewni as a whole and if he did something wrong, like shirking his duty, it would reflect poorly on him, and by extension Star and Sir Lavabo.

Marco sighed.

"Come in, Manfred! I was just getting dressed." Marco called out.

Manfred opened the the door and came in, followed by two Guardsmen, clad in their typical guardsman plate mail. Marco's heart leapt to his throat, for a moment, thinking that they were here to take him away, before noticing that they were carrying a large wooden crate.

"Squire Marco. A package has arrived for you from the Johansen Kingdom." Manfred said as the guardsmen set the crate down and promptly left. Manfred peered at the shipping tag before continuing, "From Lord Slab Johansen." Manfred finished with a snooty sniff, clearly expecting it to be some sort of Johansen family garbage.

Manfred pulled a crowbar out of nowhere and presented it to Marco while Marco just stared at it in disbelief, until excitement began welling up in his chest. It was finally here!

"Shall I open the package, Squire Marco, or would you like to do the...honors."

Marco quickly snatched the crowbar out of Manfred's hand and shoved the tip between the lid and the crate. With a heave, the lid of the crate popped off and fell to the ground.

Marco and Manfred peered into the crate at the same time and both of them gasped.

"My word..." Manfred whispered. He wasn't sure what he had expected Slab to send the Princess's Squire, but it wasn't this.

"It's perfect..." Marco said, eyes shining. "Manfred...would you mind helping me put it on?"

"It would be an honor, Squire Marco." Manfred replied.

* * *

 _The Desert Dimension, The Meeting Spot_

Kelly was beginning to regret her life choices as she sat in the sweltering heat of the Desert Dimension. She'd been so excited for her plans today, that she'd shown up to the meeting spot nearly an hour early. She put the time to practical use, of course, checking her equipment, sharpening her sword, and the other various tasks that needed to be seen to before they could get going. However, she had dressed far too warmly.

Her heavy coat and pants would be perfect for their destination, but it was too much for where she was now. She'd thought about stripping down a dozen times while she waited for Marco, but she wanted to be ready to go in case he showed up early as well.

"Maybe I _should_ go ahead and change..." She muttered, as she sat in the shade of a large boulder. Kelly pushed herself to her feet and removed her hair tie, letting her hair flow around her as she prepared to enter her pocket dimension, when a tearing sound signaled Marco's arrival.

She turned towards the opening portal and readied to greet her boyfriend, but instead her brain shorted out when he stepped through. She'd told him to prepare for an adventure and boy did he.

Marco was now clad in an outfit that made him look the knight he strove to be. Gone was his old hoodie, and in its place was a short-sleeved collared tunic, dyed the same bright red he favored, that stretched below his waist and was secured to his body with a simple brown belt with a silver buckle. The sleeves of a white undershirt ran down his arms and were tucked into a pair of brown leather fingerless gauntlets that ended mid forearm. His jeans had been replaced with black, padded trousers that offset his brightly colored shirt. What was most surprising, however, was what went over that. Marco wore a breastplate, pauldrons, and greaves that were lacquered a bright white that shined in the desert sunlight. Attached to his belt was a full scabbard, though Kelly could see the familiar grip of his scissors at the top of the scabbard. To complete the look, a cape hung off his shoulders that was dyed a bright royal blue.

"Kelly? Kelllly?"

Kelly suddenly snapped back to focus.

"Wha...what? Marco? Marco!" Kelly said as she realized he was now standing right in front of her, concern on his face.

"You okay there, Kelly? Kinda spaced out for a minute..." Marco said as he placed a hand on her shoulder. Kelly through her arms around Marco in a hug before grabbing his shoulder and pushing him out to arms length.

"Marco! The heck, dude? You look like an actual knight!" Kelly said, wonderingly. Marco smiled sheepishly back at her.

"Yeah, well, you did say be ready for adventure." Marco said, trying to step back from Kelly.

"Where did you get this? It looks...is this Mewnium?!" Kelly said, following Marco as she grabbed and touched his new armor and clothing.

"Ah, yeah...hey...come on!" Marco said as Kelly spun him around and continued to manhandle him. Kelly finally lifted his cape and saw that his armor covered his back as well. Grinning mischievously, she patted Marco on the butt, causing him to jump.

"Kelly!"

"Janna's right. You do have a nice butt! Seriously, though, where'd this all come from?" Kelly asked as she let her boyfriend retreat to a safe distance. Marco gave her a weak glare, ruined by the blush that lit up his face.

"After the corn festival I went to see Uncle Slab. In my fight with Star, she managed to destroy the armor Sir Lavabo made for me in one blow, through a magical shield. I figured I should get some real armor to replace it." Marco said, tugging on his new shirt. He wasn't used to the unfamiliar fabric and the padding underneath that kept the armor from chaffing.

"Mewnium chestplate and greaves, high-grade corn silk tunic and cloak, padded trousers, leather gauntlets, belt, and scabbard...this must have cost a fortune! Did you get it all secondhand?" Kelly said, suddenly horrified.

"Nope. The Butterfly's didn't buy it for me either. Paid out of my own money! After materials, labor, shipping, and tariffs...I'm down to 650 kernels. I might have a few husks lying around somewhere..."

"Marco, I know the Butterflies pay you a crazy amount of money to be Star's squire, but even if you didn't spend a husk, you couldn't have afforded a custom Johansen set!"

"Well...they might have given me a significant 'Friends and Family' discount..."

Kelly looked Marco over again, before grinning.

"I guess I'm lucky to have such a handsome boyfriend then!" Kelly said with a grin, causing Marco to start sputtering nervously

"I...I just..I mean...hah...I'm..."

"How does it feel? I've never seen you fight in real armor before. No offense to Sir Lavabo, but your hoodie armor was kinda shoddy." She said, grabbing his attention.

"It's amazing! The entire outfit is only slightly heavier than my regular clothes. The gauntlets have Mewnium plates sewn inside for protection, but I can freely move my fingers for my hand signs. Slab also said a charging warnicorn couldn't pierce the chestplate! Obviously there are some gaps..." Marco said, pointing to his sides and lower half, "But any more and I'd lose the flexibility needed for my martial arts."

"Swor..." Kelly began with a laugh.

"Martial...arts..." Marco said slowly, holding up to Kelly.

"Alright, Alright. Martial Arts. How about we get going, my knight?" Kelly said, placing hand on Marco's cheek to calm him.

"Of course, my lady." Marco returned with a grin and an over exaggerated bow. Marco straightened up and gave Kelly a puzzled look. "Actually...where

are we going? You never told me..."

"Well, it's a surprise!" Kelly said, holding her hand out. "Let me have your scissors."

Marco gave her a suspicious look, but drew his scissors out of their scabbard and handed them over.

"If I end up with wet socks..." Marco warned, but Kelly brushed him off.

"Just trust me. Don't be a wet blanket, Diaz!" Kelly said. She then reached out with the scissors and cut open a square shaped portal that glowed a bright aqua color.

"Ha ha, Kelly. Where...where does that go? Why couldn't I open the portal? Kelly? Kelly?" Marco said as she grabbed his hand and pulled him through.

* * *

 _Unknown Dimension_

Marco and Kelly stepped through the portal and arrived at a large wooden door on some kind of porch. The moment they were through, the portal snapped closed behind them, startling Marco. They didn't usually close on their own.

"What the...heck..." Marco said as he looked where the portal had been. Instead of some kind of landscape there was...just infinite darkness. No ground that he could see, no stars. Darkness. Marco took a step towards the edge of the porch before Kelly grabbed him.

"Yeah. I wouldn't do that. We aren't exactly sure what's out there, but I will tell you this, it does not like the skeletons. Some poor newbie gets drunk every few months and tries to wander out there and is strong enough to keep us from stopping them. They get deskelenated every time."

Marco took a long step back before responding.

"Deskelenated?"

"Yeah. Pulls some or all of their skeleton out. Last month, Jimmy wandered out there. Whatever it is pulled Jimmy's skull out right out of his head and beat him to death with it." Kelly said sadly.

"Wait a second. How do you beat someone to death with their own skull? That doesn't seem physically possible!"

* * *

 _Unknown Dimension_

 _One Month ago_

"Y'all are a bu...*hic*...buncha pansies. There's nothing..." Jimmy said before his skull appeared outside of his head and started hitting him. "This doesn't seem physically possible! Hurck...!"

* * *

 _Unknown Dimension_

 _Present Day_

"That's exactly what Jimmy kept screaming!" Kelly said as she moved towards the door. "Anyway, your safe as long as you don't step off the porch. Stay with me here until we get things settled." Kelly twisted the door's handle and led Marco inside.

"Welcome to the Guild, Marco Diaz."

Marco wasn't sure what to expect from the mysterious building, but a bustling tavern hall was not it.

The room was huge and packed with an amazing variety of individuals. People were eating and drinking, playing games, laughing, and fighting as servers moved carefully through the chaos. Marco and Kelly stood on an upper tier that ran around the the edges of the room, in front of a small staircase that led to the main floor. Marco could also see that there was another floor above that over looked the main floor. The place was easily as big as, if not bigger than the dining hall of Castle Butterfly.

Kelly took Marco's hand and led him around the edge of the room as Marco looked on in awe. He hadn't even been to a place like this when he was in Hekapoo's dimension.

Several people greeted Kelly as they passed and she would wave at them or speak a kind word. When they passed the bar, the bartender, a large gangly man with a shaved head, nodded at her.

"Kelly. Drink?" The man grunted.

"Not right now, Mac. Thanks!" She responded. He grunted again and went back to filling orders.

"Happy Birthday, Miss Kelly!" Another man called out, this one was a large man with short, curly black and a huge beard, both streaked with gray. He gestured to some sort of checker board with strange game pieces in front of him, "Got time for a few games of Tak?"

"Not today, Pat! Next time though!" She said cheerfully. The man waved and turned back to his red-headed companion who appeared offended that Pat would abandon their game. She tried to continue forward, but Marco stopped dead in his tracks.

It's your birthday?!" He said on the verge of panic. "I...I didn't know! I didn't...oh man. I'm such a bad boyfriend!"

"It's fine, Marco. I didn't tell you on purpose. I kinda wanted it to be a surprise!" Kelly said apologetically.

"But I should have asked!" He insisted. Kelly grabbed the sides of his face and gave him a firm kiss.

"It's fine. You know now, don't forget or you'll regret it! Now come on!" Kelly said as she tugged on his arm. As they walked, more people greeted her. She seemed to be pretty popular. They eventually made their way to a large desk at the back of the room...and it was manned by...

"UNCLE SLAB?" Marco called out as they approached. The man turned and looked that them in confusion.

"I ain't Slab and I ain't yer uncle, boy. Miss Kelly, who be this dandy on yer arm?" The man said gruffly. As they approached the desk, Marco could see that it wasn't actually Slab, but they could pass for twins. The only difference was Slate was missing one of his eyes.

"Mister Slate, this is Marco Diaz and he's no dandy, I can promise you. He's my boyfriend and he does know your brother though!" Kelly said confidently.

"That so. Well I'll be the judge. Brave boy to come into the lions den after making off with the prize." Slate said, addressing Marco. Fortunately, Marco was used to dealing with the Johansens. Marco put a cocky grin on before speaking.

"First of all, it's Marco, not boy. Second, Kelly is no one's prize. Forget it, and I'll take your beard as a prize." Marco said as menacingly as he could.

"Don't write any checks your face can't cash, boy. There are a lot of hunters here who had their eye on Kelly. And if you threaten me, you best be ready to back it up." Slate growled back, leaning towards Marco.

"I'm ready, old man!" Marco said. Kelly coughed loudly to get the pairs attention.

"If you two would stop pretending to be big badasses. We're on a time frame and you're both teddy bears." Kelly said, annoyed.

Marco and Slate looked at Kelly and then at each other, before bursting out laughing.

"Kelly, your boyfriend has got quite a brass pair on 'em! Most newbies piss their pants the first time we meet."

"And I'd have let you try your schtick, but we really need every minute today. Right, Marco?" Kelly said. Marco pulled out his mirror and checked the time.

"I've gotta be back in Mewni in 7 hours." Marco said.

"Right. Marco this is Slate Johansen, the Master of Missions here at the Guildhall. He gets to decide who can go on what missions here."

"What is actually is the guild?" Marco asked as he looked around.

"We're an adventurin' guild!" Slate replied, "We get mission requests from various dimensions and our hunters can volunteer to complete them. If the successfully complete a mission, they get to claim the reward offered by the client. This hall here is an exclusive meeting place for hunters! We got a deal with Lady Hekapoo, ye see! Can't open a portal to here unless you are an official member."

"That's so cool!" Marco cheered and turned to Kelly. "Can I join?"

Kelly hesitated, but Slate answered before she could.

"You can apply! If ya meet the qualifications or have a sponsor, yer in." Slate said approvingly. Marco would certainly do well in the Guild. He pulled out a clipboard and handed it to Marco.

"I'll assume Kelly here vouches for you, or she wouldn't have brought you here."

"But..." Kelly said, but Slate continued.

"Just fill out this form and we'll get you started." Kelly through her arms up in exasperation and went to stand against a wall. Marco looked at her nervously, but took the clipboard. He'd somehow just messed up, but he wasn't sure how. He filled out the form which asked various questions about him, name, age, home address, medical conditions, and so on. Marco handed it back to Slate when he was done, and then Slate grilled him. Slate asked him questions about his experiences, training, and hypothetical scenarios. It was extensive, but only took about a quarter hour.

"Final question, boy. Are you currently employed by any corporation, government, military, or paramilitary groups?"

"I...what?" Marco asked dumbly.

"He wants to know if you're working for anyone right now." Kelly said, walking over. "I was trying to warn you earlier. He's the Squire for the Princess of Mewni, Star Butterfly."

"Ahhh. A shame, lad. We'd have loved to have you." Slate said with regret. "Makes sense though. You did call my brother 'Uncle'.

"What do you mean? I can't join?" Marco asked, desperation in his voice.

"Not at this time. Conflict of interest. We take contracts for and against many governments and other organizations. Certain contracts are considered Priority Missions and members can't refuse them. Sometimes we can work something out, but you are considered Mewni nobility. At this time, you are not able to petition for entry to the guild."

"Then...why did you take us here, Kelly?" Marco asked, confused.

"You can still accompany me as a guest on my missions, provided they aren't against Mewni. Not that I've ever taken a mission against Mewni." Kelly said apologetically.

"This is true, also you won't get guild rates." Slate replied.

"What does that mean?"

"We have to pay administrative fees when we take on a mission and a portion of our reward is taken as a tax. I pay a 10% fee on all missions I take. You'll have to pay about 30% I think. You also can't access most mission related services without me." Kelly replied.

"Correct. Now, you've got about six and a half hours left, yes? Not much work you can do in that time." Slate said carefully. Hunters could be defensive about mission completion times.

"I was thinking about going to a dimension with some time dilation. Specifically, Dimension 1-C3." Kelly said.

"Aye, that'd do it. If you hurry, you'll have about 3 days." Slate looked at Marco as he pulled out a book. "Bit under-dressed for that Dimension..." Slate flipped through the book until he found the page he was looking for.

"How about this one?" Slate asked Kelly. Marco tried to take a look, but Slate kept the book away from his field of vision.

"That'll work. We'll need access to The Armory, The Pantry, and Briefing Room 3, please." Kelly requested.

"Understood. You know the way. I'll mark it down." Slate said with a wave. "Oh, and Happy Birthday, Miss Kelly." Kelly thanked the man and walked over to her boyfriend.

"Alright Marco, Let's go." Kelly said as she took his hand and led him past the desk and down a dark hallway. They reached the end of the hallway and found themselves in front of a large pair of double doors. Kelly placed both hands on one of the doors and began pushing, light pouring into the hallway as she did so.

"Marco Diaz," Kelly said grandly, "Welcome to the Armory."

"Whoa." Marco said as they stepped inside. _  
_

* * *

 ** **Marco's Book of Spells:****

 ** **Lumin**** \- Creates a small ball of light. Duration, color, and area of effect vary based on caster skill. Marco altered this skill to be more combat effective. By shortening the duration to an instant, Marco was able to up the intensity, allowing him to blind his enemies temporarily.

 **Dis-** Creates a wave of kinetic energy that pushes foe away from the caster. Damage and area of effect vary based on skill of caster.

 ** **Igni**** \- (Mentioned) Creates a blast of fire. Power and area of effect vary based on skill of caster and their creativity.

 ** **Obic**** \- Creates a magical shield that can block physical and magical attacks. Defensive ability varies based on skill of caster. Enough force will overwhelm and collapse shield.

 ** **Umbra**** \- A Dark Spell. Umbra is a dark magic spell that draws on a different, unknown source of power. The spell corrodes the target of the spell, crumbling stone, rotting flesh, and rusting metal. As a dark spell, it exacts a price for its potent power and as such Umbra burns the caster's hand while its being cast.

 **Code Duello-** A spell that binds two Knights preparing to duel. It allows them to feel each others feelings to create a sense of understanding between them. This, preferably, would end the duel with the Knights coming to an understanding, but otherwise enforces the terms of the duel. It creates a physical mark on the participants.

 **Sphaedis** \- A spell Marco dreamed about. A more powerful variation of Dis that requires two hand signs. Kinetic energy flows out from the user's body in every direction in a sphere blasting those it comes into contact with away. Useful for giving the user space to breathe when under attack from multiple foes. It is unknown if this is a real spell, or just a part of Marco's dream world.

 **Grandis-** A spell Marco dreamed about. A more powerful version of Dis that Marco was able to cast without making a hand sign. Marco cast the spell in combination with powerful punches that were able to take out foes that were many times larger than him. It condenses and amplifies the power of Dis in to a smaller area and unleashed it in a short, but devastating blast. It is unknown if this is a real spell, or just a part of Marco's dream world.

 **Ultima-** A spell Marco dreamed about. The name implied ultimate power, but Marco can't remember what it did. He woke from the dream he was casting it in and, as with most dreams, it rapidly faded from memory. It's unknown if this is a real spell, or just a part of Marco's dream world.

 **Baloo Balee, Baloo Balow** \- A spell accidentally cast by Marco. It's unknown if this was an actual spell Moon knew, or just a misunderstanding by Star, but when Marco recited the words and filled them with magic, something happened to the Blood Moon connection between him and Star. Marco's crush on Star diminished greatly after the casting, but after seeing the crack the spell caused begin to repair itself, he could feel his crush returning.

* * *

Author's Notes: Not much here! I did get a tattoo of the Fairy Tail Guild symbol yesterday though!

Happy Veteran's day to all those who served!

Hope you guys enjoyed the Chapter!

Until next time!


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